Mann-fructose fluid (MF), and MF plus caffeine, MF plus pentoxifylline, MF (dibutyryl cAMP), MF plus propranolol, and MF plus propranolol plus dibutyryl cAMP were individually added to aliquots of semen samples obtained from 18 normal men. These drugs were added to a final concentration of 0.6 mM. One aliquot with no addition served as control. Samples were incubated at 37 degrees C and observed by light microscopy at 30 minutes and at 1,2, and 4 hours after obtained the material. At each observation time, semen quality was evaluated by determinating the percentages of forwardly progresssive spermatozoa, slowly progressive spermatozoa, "in situ" motile spermatozoa, live and nonmotile spermatozoa, and dead spermatozoa. Mann-fructose fluid resulted in a decrease in motility and the duration of activity of spermatozoa, Caffeine seemed to neutralize the deleterus effect on the buffer, whereas pentoxifylline and cAMP seemed to increase the duration of activity of spermatozoa. Propranolol resulted in a dramatic decrease in motility, an effect that could not be neutralized by the simultaneous addition of cAMP.
PIP: Mann-fructose fluid (MF), MF plus caffeine, MF plus pentoxifylline, MF plus dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), MF plus propranolol, and MF plus propranolol plus dibutyryl cAMP were individually added to aliquots of semen samples obtained from 18 normal men to a final concentration of .6 mM to determine whether these drugs affected percentage, quality, and duration of activity of ejaculated human spermatozoa. At each observation time (30 minutes, 1, 2, and 4 hours), semen quality was evaluated by determining percentages of forwardly progressive, slowly progressive, in situ motile, live and nonmotile, and dead sperm. MF resulted in a decrease in motility and duration of activity compared with controls (P .001). Caffeine seemed to neutralize the deleterious effect, whereas pentoxifylline and cAMP seemed to increase duration of activity. Propranolol resulted in a dramatic decrease in motility, an effect that could not be neutralized by adding cAMP. The effects of adding cAMP seem to confirm that an increase of the intracellular content of this compound could determine a longer-lasting activity of ejaculated human spermatozoa.