Anærobic Metabolism of Spermatozoa

Abstract

IT was shown by Iwanow¹ and Redenz² that the presence of oxygen is not essential for the survival of the spermatozoa and that they retain their motility under anærobic conditions provided that glucose is present. Later, it was demonstrated conclusively that the metabolism of spermatozoa is predominantly of glycolytic character^3,4,5,6,7. Up to the present, however, the studies have been largely confined to the investigations of optimal conditions, various substrates and inhibitors of sperm glycolysis, leaving open the question concerning the glycolytic pathways and the enzymes involved in the anærobic processes. The presence in sperm of adenosinetriphosphate, one of the essential factors of glycolysis, has been assumed on the grounds that the sperm contains a phosphate fraction which breaks down to ortho-phosphate after short hydrolysis in acid⁸.