The acrosome integration as a key prognostic factor of fertility (review)

Purpose : study of data from domestic and foreign authors on the morphofunctional features of the acrosome, methods for assessing the acrosomal reaction and comparison of fertility data. Fertility is the ability of a sexually mature organism to produce viable offspring. Fertility can be determined by various criteria, but one of the key factors is the assessment of the integrity of the acrosome. The acrosome is a part of the sperm, located at the top of its head. There are two main functions of the acrosome: the isolation of proteolytic and hydrolytic enzymes for the sperm to pass through the transparent shell of the egg, and ensuring the fusion of the sperm with the membrane of the female germ cell. Golgi apparatus, cytoskeleton, Sertoli cells and various proteins are involved in the formation of the acrosome. The acrosomal reaction is the exocytosis of the contents of the acrosome, as a result of which the sperm penetrates through the egg shells. The integrity of the acrosome can be assessed by several methods: electron microscopy with differentiated staining of the acrosome using different techniques, functional tests, fluorescence microscopy, radioimmunoanalysis.