The Epididymis, Sperm Maturation and Fertilisation

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XV

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2. Maturation of Spermatozoa in the Epididymis

   1. Maturation of Spermatozoa in the Epididymis

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 1-8

3. Fertilisation

   1. Sperm Motility

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 9-42

   2. Capacitation

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 42-55

   3. Consequences of Capacitation. I. Sperm-Egg Binding

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 56-66

   4. Consequences of Capacitation. II. The Acrosome Reaction

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 67-89

   5. Consequences of Capacitation. III. Hyperactivation

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 89-100

   6. Sperm-Egg Fusion

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 101-108

   7. Post-Fusion Events

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 108-115

4. Function of the Epididymis and Its Secretory Products

   1. Epididymal Structure and Function

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 117-139

   2. Secretion of Steroids by the Epididymis

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 139-162

   3. Resorption and Secretion of Ions by the Epididymis

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 163-174

   4. Epididymal Secretion of Glycerophosphocholine (GPC)

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 174-179

   5. Epididymal Secretion of Carnitine

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 180-191

   6. Epididymal Secretion of myo-Inositol

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 191-199

   7. Epididymal Secretion and Resorption of Proteins

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 200-230

5. Conclusions

   1. Conclusions

      • Trevor G. Cooper

      Pages 231-232

6. Back Matter

   Pages 233-281

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The epididymis has great significance in the reproductive biology of the male and it is gaining recognition as an organ worthy of study in its own right - where the secretory and absorptive activities of one tissue (the epithelium) profoundly modify the function of another (the spermatozoon). Apart from cases of epididymal agenesis or physical blockage, however, it is not yet known to what extent mal­ functions of the epididymis contribute to "unexplained" male infer­ tility, but its importance as a target for antifertility agents in the male is now widely appreciated. This monograph evolved from two lectures on epididymal func­ tion given at the National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing and the Sichuan Provincial Family Planning Research Insti­ tute, Chengdu, China in 1983. In order to stress for this audience the central importance of the epididymis in fertilisation, and so highlight its potential for attack by antifertility agents, the talks attempted to put the epididymis in reproductive perspective by stressing the func­ tional development of the sperm cells during their sojourn in the epididymis, rather than merely listing the changes observed in them.

• biology
• cells
• cognition
• development
• fertility
• metabolism
• organ
• planning
• protein
• reproductive biology
• research
• steroid
• steroids
• stress
• tissue

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V., Klinische Forschungsgruppe für Reproduktionsmedizin an der Frauenklinik der Universität Münster, Münster, Germany

  Trevor G. Cooper

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