Figure 5. Time-dependent effects of veratridine on sperm hyperactivation and acrosome reaction (AR).
(A) Effect of veratridine (10 μM) and its solvent on hyperactivated sperm motility. Capacitated sperm were treated with veratridine or its solvent for different times and hyperactivation evaluated by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Bars are means with SEM of 7 different experiments and represent % hyperactivated sperm. (B) Effect of veratridine and A-23187 on AR. Capacitated sperm were treated with veratridine (10 μM) or A-23187 (10 μM) for different times and the acrosomal status was assessed by staining sperm with FITC-PSA. Bars are means with SEM of 5 different experiments and were calculated as: (%AR reacted spermatozoa in veratridine- or A23187-treated aliquots) – (%AR reacted spermatozoa in the corresponding solvent-treated aliquots at the same time). * P<0.05, significant difference vs. values at time =0.