Effect of Storage Time and Temperature of Equine Epididymis on the Viability,Motion Parameters,and Freezability of Epididymal Sperm

The recovery of sperm from the epididymal cauda may be the last chance to obtain genetic material when sudden death or serious injuries occur in valuable stallions. However, the lack of technical knowledge regarding the storage and transportation of the epididymis often prevents the preservation of the sperm. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare sperm parameters of sperm obtained immediately after orchiectomy with sperm recovered from epididymal cauda at different times after storage at 5°C and at room temperature (RT). For that, 48 stallions of different breeds were used. In group 1 (control group), eight stallions were used, and the harvest of the epididymal sperm was performed immediately after orchiectomy. In group 2, 40 stallions were used, which were divided into five groups according to the storage time of the epididymis after orchiectomy (6, 12, 18, 24, or 30 hours), making a total of eight stallions per group. One epididymis of each stallion was stored at 5°C, and the contralateral epididymis was stored at RT, both for the same period. The sperm parameters of total motility, progressive motility, progressive linear velocity, curvilinear velocity, percentage of rapid sperm, and plasma membrane integrity were evaluated in all the groups after sperm recovery, resuspension in a sperm freezing diluent, and thawing. In conclusion, the storage of the testis-epididymis complex at 5°C provided better preservation of epididymal sperm than the storage at RT, and regardless of the temperature, the progressive motility is the sperm parameter that is most sensitive to storage time.     

大熊猫精液的研究

在1999年3月至2000年6月，对卧龙自然保护区大熊猫研究中心的9只5.5～16.5岁的雄性大熊猫进行了17次电刺激采精，9只大熊猫的平均体重为108.1±15kg，睾丸体积为289.4±108.6cm3，刺激电压2～8V，射精电压4～8V，平均每次采精量为3.5±1.91ml，精子密度为995.2±782.6×106个/ml，每次采精总量为3907±2981.7×106个，精液平均活力为69.1±28.9%，活率为79.6±23.1%，运动状态为2.7±1.1，畸形率为39.4±32.2%，平均顶体正常率为85.8±31.2%，pH值为7.9±0.4。其中3只是能进行自然交配并繁殖了后代的种公兽，其体重为122.7±7.1kg，睾丸体积为381.7±64.8cm3，精液活力为77.3±5.8%，运动状态为3.0±0.5，精子畸形率为18.0±9.6%，顶体正常率为92.7±1.5%，pH值为8.0±0.1。大熊猫异常精子主要有顶体异常，卷尾，中段弯曲含胞浆小滴，中段弯曲无胞浆小滴，尾弯曲含胞浆小滴，尾弯曲无胞浆小滴，近端含胞浆小滴，远端含胞浆小滴8种。在2月～6月都能通过电刺激采集到精液，在4月份每次产精量最高，这正好与在这期间发情和交配的大熊猫数量最多相吻合。     

Effects of Pentoxifylline on Equine Epididymal Sperm

This study evaluated whether pentoxifylline (PTX) present in the flushing extender influenced the function of equine epididymal spermatozoa after recovery and after thawing. For this experiment, 58 testicles from 29 Brazilian Jumping Horses were used. Cauda epididymides of each stallion were separated and flushed with a skim milk extender, with or without 7.18 mM PTX and then subjected to the freezing process. Samples flushed with the extender containing PTX showed a significant increase in total motility, progressive motility, straight line velocity, curvilinear velocity, and percentage of rapid sperm immediately after the recovery of epididymal sperm and after 15 minutes of incubation at 37°C (P < .05). However, the presence of PTX in the flushing extender did not affect the post-thaw motility parameters or plasma membrane integrity (P > .05). The results of this study showed that the PTX present in the flushing extender improved motility parameters of recently recovered epididymal sperm and had no deleterious effects on plasma membrane integrity and freezability of equine epididymal sperm.     

Influence of recovery methods and extenders on bull epididymal spermatozoa quality

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two extraction methods in combination with two different extenders in bull epididymal sperm collection. Testes from 23 sexually mature Limousine bulls were collected at the abattoir. Epididymal sperm recovery was performed using both the float-up (FL) and the retrograde flushing (RF) technique. Within extraction methods, half testes were processed with a Tris egg yolk extender and half with a Tris egg yolk-free extender. Sperm concentration, motility, viability and morphology were evaluated. Sperm concentration was not significantly different between methods. Flushing technique was significantly better than the FL method in terms of sperm quality, considering total motility (80.3 ± 2.3% vs 71.6 ± 2.0%, p < 0.001, respectively) and viability (84.5 ± 1.5% vs 77.2 ± 1.3%, p < 0.001, respectively). Egg yolk influenced positively motility and morphology in the FL method, whereas decreased viability in flushed samples. Results suggest the use of the RF technique to collect cattle epididymal sperm.     

Single layer centrifugation of stallion spermatozoa consistently selects the most robust spermatozoa from the rest of the ejaculate in a large sample size

Reasons for performing study: An improvement in sperm quality after single layer centrifugation (SLC) has been seen in previous studies using small sample sizes (for example, n = 10 stallions). There is a need to investigate whether this improvement is repeatable over several breeding seasons with a larger number of stallions (n ≥ 30 stallions). Objective: To make a retrospective analysis of the results of SLC performed on more than 250 sperm samples (176 ejaculates) from 31 stallions in 3 consecutive breeding seasons. Methods: Sperm quality (motility, proportion of morphologically normal spermatozoa and the proportion of spermatozoa with undamaged chromatin) was assessed before and after SLC. Results: All parameters of sperm quality examined were significantly better in sperm samples after SLC than in their unselected counterparts (P<0.001 for each parameter). The yield of spermatozoa obtained after SLC was influenced by the type of extender used and also by the concentration of spermatozoa in the original ejaculate, with fewer spermatozoa being recovered when the loading dose contained a high concentration of spermatozoa. The optimal concentration was approximately 100 × 10⁶/ml. Sperm concentration in the samples loaded on to the colloid influenced the sperm yield while the type of semen extender affected sperm quality and survival. Furthermore, the scaled‐up SLC method was found to be suitable for use with a range of ejaculates, with similar sperm kinematics being observed for standard and scaled‐up preparations. Conclusions: SLC consistently improved the quality of stallion sperm samples from a large number of ejaculates. The method could be scaled‐up, allowing larger volumes of ejaculate to be processed easily from a wide range of stallions.     

柠檬酸对小鼠精子特性和睾丸组织形态结构的影响

60只雄性小鼠随机分为4组,每天分别腹腔注射0.2mL的0.9%生理盐水或7.5、15、30g/L CA,于14、21d测定曲细精管精子的生成及附睾内精子特性的相关数据。结果显示,随柠檬酸处理剂量的增加精子的生成数减少。14d时,对照组与15、30g/L CA组间、7.5、30g/L CA组间曲细精管内精子的生成差异显著（P〈0.05）;21d时,对照组与柠檬酸处理组间及7.5、15g/L CA与30g/L CA处理组间曲细精管内精子的生成有显著差异（P〈0.05）。柠檬酸对附睾精子品质的影响表现为：对照组与柠檬酸处理组间及柠檬酸处理组间精子密度和活动率差异均显著（P〈0.05）;对照组和15、30g/L CA处理组及15g/L CA与30g/L CA处理组间精子活力差异显著（P〈0.05）;精子的畸形率随柠檬酸浓度的增加而增加,15g/L CA处理组精子畸形率显著高于对照组（P〈0.05）,30g/LCA处理组显著高于对照组和7.5g/L CA（P〈0.05）处理组。组织形态学观察结果表明柠檬酸能破坏睾丸正常组织形态结构。柠檬酸高剂量组的生精小管内生精细胞排列疏松、紊乱,生精细胞间出现空隙;生精小管中的生精细胞脱落或退化,精原细胞、精母细胞和精子数量明显减少。研究表明,外源柠檬酸雄性小鼠具有显著的生殖遗传毒性。     

Effect of relaxin on the motility, acrosome reaction and utilization of glucose of fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of relaxin on motility, acrosome reaction (AR), viability and utilization of glucose in fresh and frozen‐thawed bovine spermatozoa. Both semen samples were washed twice through centrifugation (5 min at 600 g), and preincubated for 1 h at 39°C for swim up. The swim‐up separated spermatozoa were resuspended in a sperm Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (Sp‐TALP) medium containing 0 (control) and 40 ng/mL porcine relaxin and incubated for 0–6 h. Sperm motility was determined on the basis of movement quality examined by a phase contrast microscope. Sperm viability and AR were evaluated by using the triple staining technique. The incorporation and oxidation of ¹⁴C‐glucose was assessed by a liquid scintillation counter. Motility was improved (P < 0.05) in both fresh and frozen‐thawed spermatozoa by the addition of relaxin to the Sp‐TALP medium, whereas relaxin showed no significant effect on viability in either fresh or frozen‐thawed spermatozoa. The percentage of AR increased (P < 0.05) when fresh or frozen‐thawed spermatozoa were incubated with relaxin. In contrast, the incorporation and oxidation of ¹⁴C‐glucose increased (P < 0.05) in both kinds of spermatozoa incubated with relaxin. Thus the results demonstrated that the addition of relaxin to the Sp‐TALP medium increased the motility, AR and utilization of glucose in fresh and frozen‐thawed bovine spermatozoa.     

Morphological and acrosomal changes of canine spermatozoa during epididymal transit

Background

During epididymal transit, functional and structural modifications leading to full maturation enable male gametes to reach, recognize and fertilize the oocytes. In dogs, little is known on the modifications of spermatozoa during the passage in the epididymis. The aim of this study was to describe the motility, morphology and acrosomal patterns of canine spermatozoa retrieved from the epididymis caput, corpus and cauda.

Results

After the dilution required for the collection of epididymal content, sperm motility was significantly higher (P <0.0001) in the cauda compared to corpus and caput.Proportions of spermatozoa with normal morphology were significantly higher in corpus (P =0.02) and cauda (P <0.0001) compared to caput. Overall morphological abnormalities of the head and neck/midpiece were similar in the three different epididymal regions. A significantly increased prevalence of tail defects, mainly represented by single bent tails, was observed in the corpus compared to caput (P <0.0001) and cauda (P =0.006).Numbers of immature sperm with cytoplasmic droplets decreased from the proximal to the distal region of the epididymis. Particularly, proximal cytoplasmic droplets were more frequently found in spermatozoa collected from the caput epididymis than in the corpus (P <0.0001) and in the cauda (P <0.0001), whereas the occurrence of distal cytoplasmic droplets was higher in the corpus than in the caput (P =0.0003) and in the cauda (P <0.05).Significantly higher proportions of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes were retrieved from the cauda epididymis than from the caput (P =0.03) and the corpus (P =0.008). This difference was mainly due to a lower proportion of spermatozoa with abnormal acrosomes (mainly swollen acrosomes) rather than with absent acrosomes.

Conclusions

Canine spermatozoa undergo several modifications in the epididymis. The acquisition of progressive motility, migration of the cytoplasmic droplet and acrosomal reshaping lead to mature spermatozoa which are then stored in the cauda epididymis. From this site, spermatozoa can be retrieved and used in assisted reproductive techniques as a valuable tool for propagating genetic traits of high value individuals that dies accidentally or undergoes orchiectomy for medical purposes. Further investigations should be also focused on the potential use of spermatozoa recovered from other epididymal regions.     

Adverse Effects of Cadmium on Bull Spermatozoa

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant. Because of its long biological half-life (10–30 years in humans), Cd accumulates in the biological systems such as gonads. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Cd in the concentration range 50–750 μmol/L, in vitro, on the membrane integrity, motility and acrosomal status of bull spermatozoa. The samples were processed for sperm analyses using semen-diluting fluid (phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.2). A significant elevation in the malondialdehyde level/lipid peroxidation (LPO) rate and a decrease in the spermatocrit values, particularly at a concentration of 750 μmol/L Cd, indicated the deleterious effect of Cd on sperm membrane integrity. There was also a negative correlation between LPO rate and percentage of motile spermatozoa (r = 0.992).The gelatin test indicates that Cd may alter the integrity of acrosomal membranes and shows an abnormal acrosome reaction. In this regard, a strong negative correlation was found between LPO rate and % halos (bright clear zone around sperm heads after gelatin digestion) (r = 0.990). Taking the results together, Cd proved to be a potential toxicant in the category of environmental factors that induce membrane impairment, lower motility, and decrease the rate of acrosome reactions, leading to male infertility. Apparently, the presence of Cd in the environment and seminal plasma exerts a toxic effect on sperm cells. Arabi, M. and Mohammadpour, A.A., 2006. Adverse effects of cadmium on bull spermatozoa. Veterinary Research Communications, 30(8), 943–951     

Retracted: Effects of multiple collections on spermatozoa quality of Persian sturgeon,Acipenser persicus: motility,density and seminal plasma composition

In this study, we investigated the effects of multiple collections of sperm on the endangered Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus, in terms of a number of sperm functional parameters (percentage of motile spermatozoa, total time period of motility and sperm concentration) as well as on the ionic composition, protein concentration and osmolality of seminal plasma. Semen samples were collected from 12 induced male fish in three experimental groups that had been injected intramuscularly with LHRH‐A₂, at dosages of 5 μg/kg body weight, at a number of time regimes: at 12 h, 17 h and 24 h after spawning induction (1); at 24, 29 and 34 h after spawning induction (2); and at 36, 41 and 46 h after spawning induction (3). The percentage of motile spermatozoa and the period of sperm motility decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after the second and third collections. The concentration of spermatozoa decreased after the third collection, but this decline was not significant. No significant effect of multiple collections on protein concentration and ionic content (with exception of the Cl^? ion) of seminal plasma was observed. In all experimental groups, a moderate impact of sequential collection on the osmolality (p < 0.05) of seminal plasma was observed. This study provides new data on the effects of multiple collections on spermatological characteristics in the Persian sturgeon. Our results confirm that sequential stripping after the third collections has a negative effect on a number of functional parameters associated with sperm.     

Comparison of density gradient and single layer centrifugation of stallion spermatozoa: Yield,motility and survival

Reasons for performing study: A new, simpler, technique of colloidal centrifugation has recently been developed, designated single layer centrifugation (SLC). This technique requires evaluation by comparison with a density gradient for its ability to select the best quality spermatozoa and its practicality of use on studfarms. Objective: To compare the effect of 2 methods of colloidal centrifugation, density gradient centrifugation and single layer centrifugation, on stallion sperm motility, yield and survival, using freshly collected extended stallion semen. Methods: Aliquots of extended stallion semen from 10 stallions (38 ejaculates) were processed by the 2 methods of colloidal centrifugation. For both uncentrifuged and centrifuged samples, sperm yield was calculated and subjective sperm motility assessed over several days to provide an estimate of sperm survival. Some stored semen samples, held at 4°C overnight, were also available for testing. Results: For fresh, extended semen, a similar recovery yield of motile spermatozoa was seen for the 2 methods of preparation for single layers and density gradients, respectively. Sperm motility and survival rate were significantly improved by colloidal centrifugation compared to unprocessed ejaculate, without any significant difference between methods (SLC vs. gradient). However, the yield was reduced by 18–20% when cold‐stored semen was used for centrifugation compared to fresh semen; and more variation between ejaculates was observed than for fresh ejaculates. Again, sperm motility and sperm survival were improved in the centrifuged sperm preparations compared to stored, unprocessed ejaculates. Potential relevance: The 2 colloid centrifugation techniques produce equivalent sperm preparations in terms of sperm quality. However, the SLC method would be more practical and convenient for use in the field.     

丁羟基甲苯抗猪精子氧化损伤作用

分别在稀释、离心猪精液中添加0.2、0.4、0.8、1.6 mmol/L丁羟基甲苯(Butylated hydroxytoluene,BHT),15℃保存,检验保存35、d后精子TMS、PMI和NAR(%)、测定MDA浓度;确定并选择最佳BHT浓度用于猪精液冷冻保存,检验解冻后TMS、PMI、NAR和Mt-MP(%)、测定MDA浓度。结果显示:BHT显著提高稀释精液、离心精液各项指标百分率(P0.05),且MDA浓度显著降低(P0.05),BHT最佳浓度分别为0.8、1.6 mmol/L;0.8 mmol/L BHT显著提高冷冻-解冻精液各项指标百分率(P0.05),且MDA浓度显著降低(P0.05)。结果表明,BHT能通过抑制精子质膜氧化损伤,提高猪精液保存效果。     

Effects of iodine methionine on boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17°C

Microbial environment is one of the important factors that affect the quality of preserved semen. Iodine methionine (IM), participating in the production and activation of metabolic enzymes, is a new type of amino acid chelate. To date, there has been no report to evaluate the effects of IM on boar semen preservation at 17°C. This study was designed to investigate the effects of IM on boar sperm quality and reproductive performance during liquid storage at 17°C and its antibacterial effect. Semen samples collected from six Yorkshire boars were diluted with basic liquid containing different concentrations of IM (0, 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 μM). Subsequently, sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity were determined. After 6 days of preservation, the difference in microbial composition between control group and 80 μM IM group was compared using 16S rDNA sequencing, and the effects of IM on reproductive performance were also compared and analysed between the two groups. The results demonstrated that 20, 40 and 80 μM IM improved boar sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. 80 μM IM was the optimum concentration. Conversely, 160 and 320 μM IM resulted in deleterious consequences to boar sperm quality compared to the control group and other treatment groups (p < .05). After 6 days of preservation, sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity were 56.0%, 51.8% and 59.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in non‐return rate between the two groups (p > .05). But the litter size of 80 μM IM group was significantly higher than that of control group (p < .05). 80 μM IM inhibited proliferation of the phylum Proteobacteria and the genus Staphylococcus as well as Pseudomonas (p < .05). Further studies are required to understand the antibacterial mechanism of IM in liquid‐preserved boar semen.     

牛冷冻精液中前进运动精子数的研究

为提高我国种公牛的利用率提供理论基础，对牛冷冻精液相关标准的制、修订给出可靠的参考数据，本研究对国内近20年来牛冷冻精液的主要质量性状——每剂量中前进运动精子数进行了测定分析。结果表明，每剂量前进运动精子数平均为1342万个，其中最高的为3072万个，最低的为800万个；各年度间比较没有发现明显的变化规律，但是品种间（荷斯坦、西门塔尔、牦牛和水牛）差异显著（P〈0．05、P〈0．01）；经进一步分析测算，在基本不增加生产成本的情况下，目前牛冷冻精液的产量至少可以增加50％以上。     

Effects of exogenous lactoferrin on characteristics and functions of bovine epididymal,ejaculated and frozen-thawed sperm

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of addition of lactoferrin on characteristics and functions of bovine epididymal, ejaculated, and frozen-thawed sperm. The addition of lactoferrin was significantly (p < .05) effective on increasing values of progressive motility, straightness, and linearity in caput epididymal sperm and values of motility in cauda epididymal sperm. When ejaculated sperm were incubated in capacitation medium, percentages of motile and progressively motile sperm decreased largely within the first period of 30 min, followed by only minor changes. However, the addition of lactoferrin significantly lessened the early decreases of these parameters and additionally promoted capacitation-dependent changes of chlortetracycline staining patterns (from F pattern to B pattern). In other experiments, when ejaculated sperm were exposed to oxidative stress with 100-µM H₂O₂, the addition of lactoferrin partially protected them from dysfunction of flagellar movement and loss of progressive movement. In final experiments with frozen-thawed samples incubated in the capacitation medium, the addition of lactoferrin effectively survived dying sperm and suppressed occurrence of sperm agglutination. These results may suggest biological and biotechnological potentials of lactoferrin for modulation of bovine sperm viability, motility, capacitation state, and preservation in vitro.     

Influence of boars on the relationship between fertility and post thawing sperm quality of deep frozen boar spermatozoa.

The possibility of selecting boars for deep freezing of spermatozoa was evaluated by tests of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. 20 of 31 ejaculates were used for artificial insemination of 37 gilts. Boar seminal plasma and OLEP were used as thawing diluents. The thermoresistance test and the extracellular concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) were used as indicators of fertility. Spermatozoa from 4 boars were utilized. 1 of the boars appeared to be of superior fertility, while the spermatozoa from another was infertile. The latter animal had been used for fresh artificial insemination trials, and had shown higher pregnancy rates than the average. Samples from this boar exhibited the lowest degree of motility after 3 hours storage at 37 degrees C, the greatest relative decrease of motility during the thermoresistance test, the greatest release of ASAT after thawing by OLEP, and greatest relative release of ASAT. These variations were statistically significant (p less than .05). The results show that there is a possibility of detecting boars with spermatozoa with potential low freezability.     

Effects of vehicle movements during transport on the stress responses and meat quality of sheep

Two groups of 26 lambs were transported for 15 hours either on smooth highways or on rougher secondary roads. Nine of the animals in each group were monitored for heart rate and the plasma levels of cortisol, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, before the journey began, after four, eight and 12 hours and at slaughter. The pH of the meat was measured 45 minutes and 24 hours postmortem and its colour was assessed 24 hours postmortem. The lambs transported on smooth roads had a lower heart rate and lower plasma cortisol concentrations after eight and 12 hours than the lambs transported on rougher roads. Twenty-four hours after slaughter the pH of the meat of the lambs transported on smooth roads was lower than that of the lambs transported on rougher roads.     

Effect of cooling rate and cryoprotectant on the cryosurvival of equine spermatozoa

Cryosurvival of cells is reduced if the cooling rate used is suboptimal. If cells cool too rapidly, intracellular water will freeze, causing intracellular ice crystals. However, if spermatozoa are cooled too slowly, excessive cellular dehydration occurs, causing irreversible damage to cellular compartments. In addition, cryoprotectants are added to the freezing diluent to protect cells from damage during cryopreservation. This study was conducted to determine the optimal cooling rate for stallion spermatozoa frozen in the presence of three different cryoprotectants. Spermatozoa were frozen in a skim milk, egg yolk diluent containing 4% glycerol, and ethylene glycol or dimethyl formamide at 10 different cooling rates ranging from 5°C/min to 50°C/min. The percentage of viable spermatozoa was higher for spermatozoa cooled at 10°C/min than at 50°C/min (P < .05). Spermatozoa frozen using glycerol as the cryoprotectant had higher percentages of motile and progressively motile spermatozoa compared with spermatozoa frozen using the other two cryoprotectants (P < .05). In conclusion, the cryosurvival of stallion spermatozoa is similar when cooling rates of 5°C/min to 45°C/min are used, and when 4% cryoprotectant is used, glycerol is a more effective cryoprotectant than ethylene glycol or dimethyl formamide.     

有机磷农药对鲫鱼精子运动的影响

为检测有机磷农药的生殖毒性。在预试验的基础上,确定用40％的氧化乐果乳油配制成质量浓度分别为0．005％、0．01％、0．02％、0．04％、0．08％和0．16％氧化乐果溶液;用80％的敌敌畏乳油配制成质量浓度分别为0．005％、0．01％、0．02％、0．03％、0．04％和0．05％敌敌畏溶液。取5μL稀释精液和30μL待测溶液混合,在显微镜下观察,运用计算机辅助精子运动分析系统（CASA）检测精子活力。结果表明：在对照组中,鲫鱼精子运动时间最长,速度最快,运动剧烈,精子运动轨迹以直线为主。随着溶液中有机磷浓度的增大,鲫鱼精子运动的时间逐渐缩短,速度越来越慢,精子运动轨迹也从直线变为弧线和曲线,由曲线变为原地运动或不运动。由此可见,有机磷农药氧化乐果和敌敌畏对鲫鱼精子的运动速度和运动持续时间产生显著影响,具有明显的生殖毒性。