Centrifugation on Percoll density gradient enhances motility, membrane integrity and in vitro fertilizing ability of frozen–thawed boar sperm

Zygote ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Noguchi ◽  
Koji Yoshioka ◽  
Hirokazu Hikono ◽  
Gentaro Iwagami ◽  
Chie Suzuki ◽  
...  

SummaryThe effects of Percoll density gradient centrifugation on sperm quality, in vitro fertilizability and developmental capacity of frozen–thawed boar sperm were evaluated. Two-step density gradient centrifugation by Percoll enhanced significantly the motility parameters of sperm compared with a simple centrifugation procedure. Percentages of motile sperm and sperm with intact plasma and acrosome membranes after Percoll separation were significantly greater than those after simple centrifugation. The rates of penetration, cleavage and blastocyst formation after in vitro fertilization were significantly improved by Percoll separation compared with simple centrifugation and were influenced positively by the intactness of sperm head membranes, but not any sperm motility parameters. However, insemination with increased concentrations of sperm prepared by Percoll gradient centrifugation did not improve the success of fertilization and embryo development in vitro. Our results indicate that the integrity of sperm head membranes after Percoll separation is important for successful embryo development in vitro, more so than sperm motility.

1986 ◽  
Vol 235 (3) ◽  
pp. 671-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Tangerås

In female rats with porphyria induced by hexachlorobenzene, the amounts of non-haem iron and porphyrins in liver mitochondrial fractions were increased almost 3-fold and greater than 500-fold respectively compared with that of untreated animals. A considerable fraction of both iron and porphyrins in this fraction was shown to be located in lysosomes. Thus mitochondrial preparations, which were further depleted of lysosomes by Percoll-density-gradient centrifugation, contained 2.78 +/- 0.75 and 2.99 +/- 0.49 nmol of non-haem iron/mg of protein when isolated from the liver of control rats and hexachlorobenzene-treated rats respectively. Mitochondria isolated from the liver of hexachlorobenzene-treated animals contained a pool of iron (about 1 nmol/mg of protein) that was available for haem synthesis in vitro. This pool is similar to that previously reported for mitochondria isolated from the liver of rats with normal haem synthesis. Hexachlorobenzene treatment, therefore, does not affect the iron status of the mitochondria.


1986 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. Chu ◽  
P. J. Hyatt

ABSTRACT Percoll density gradient centrifugation is a simple, inexpensive and convenient method to eliminate contaminating zona fasciculata (ZF) cells from unpurified rat adrenal capsular glomerulosa (ZG) cell preparations (with less than 0·1% ZF cells in the final cell preparation). Basal steroid (aldosterone and corticosterone) output by the purified (PG) cells was unchanged. These purified cells, although free from ZF contamination, were more highly responsive than expected to ACTH (3 nmol/l). When PG cells were further separated by Sephadex column filtration, the filtered PG cells exhibited the steroidogenic response of ZG cells purified by unit gravity sedimentation and Sephadex column filtration, i.e. reduced basal steroid output and an ACTH response reduced to that stimulated by K+ (8·4 mmol/l). Although the cells retained in the column resembled the filtered PG cells ultrastructurally, they showed unchanged basal steroid output and a high ACTH response with increased latepathway activity (the conversion of corticosterone to aldosterone). By combining Percoll density gradient centrifugation and Sephadex column filtration we have a method for the isolation and study of both the high-and low-response rat ZG cells which are free from ZF contamination. J. Endocr. (1986) 109, 351–358


1994 ◽  
Vol 304 (2) ◽  
pp. 617-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Osypiw ◽  
R L Allen ◽  
D Billington

Freshly isolated viable rat hepatocytes were separated into five subpopulations on shallow discontinuous Percoll density gradients. The periportal marker enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) showed gradients of increasing activity from the subpopulation of least density (band 1, rho = 1.07 g/ml) to the subpopulation of greatest density (band 5, rho = 1.09 g/ml). The perivenous marker enzymes pyruvate kinase (PK) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) showed gradients of decreasing activity from band-1 cells to band-5 cells. Glutamine synthetase (GS), which is confined to the two or three cell layers around the hepatic venule, was almost entirely restricted to band-1 hepatocytes. Band-5: band-1 ratios of enzyme activity were as follows: ALT, 8.0; LDH, 2.1; MDH, 1.6; GDH, 0.7; PK, 0.2; GS, 0.01. Band-5:band-1 ratios for ALT, LDH, PK and GS were maintained after culture of subpopulations in identical conditions for up to 72 h, whereas the ratios for MDH and GDH decreased and increased respectively towards unity. Band-1 hepatocytes exhibited greater cytotoxicity than band-5 cells after incubation with carbon tetrachloride or paracetamol. These perivenous-selective toxins produced greater decreases in cell viability and greater release of ALT and LDH from band-1 hepatocytes than from band-5 hepatocytes. Conversely, band-5 hepatocytes were more susceptible than band-1 hepatocytes to the cytotoxic effects of 1-naphthylisothiocyanate and methotrexate (known periportal-selective toxins). It is concluded that band-5 hepatocytes are enriched in periportal cells, whereas band-1 hepatocytes are enriched in perivenous cells. Isolation of hepatocyte subpopulations by Percoll density-gradient centrifugation has the considerable advantage that periportal and perivenous cells can be obtained from the same liver.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Effrosyni Nosi ◽  
Angelos D. Gritzapis ◽  
Konstantinos Makarounis ◽  
Georgios Georgoulias ◽  
Vasilios Kapetanios ◽  
...  

Semen hyperviscosity impairs sperm motility and can lead to male infertility. This prospective study aimed at assessing the ability of exogenous DNase in improving sperm quality, taking into consideration that DNase has been found in the seminal plasma of several species and that neutrophils release chromatin in order to trap bacteria. A total of seventy-seven semen samples with high seminal viscosity (HSV) as the study group and sixty-two semen samples with normal seminal viscosity (NSV) as the control group were compared in this analysis. These semen samples were divided into three groups of receiving treatment (a) with DNase I at 37°C for 15 min, (b) by density gradient centrifugation, and (c) with a combination of the above two methods. Following a fifteen-minute treatment of hyperviscous semen, the motility of spermatozoa in 83% of semen samples increased to a statistically significant degree. On the contrary, DNase treatment of semen with normal viscosity had no such effects. The above treatment was also accompanied by a significant increase in the percentage of normal spermatozoa, resulting in a major decrease of the teratozoospermia index. Comparison between semen samples that underwent density gradient centrifugation following DNase I treatment, to those collected after density gradient treatment alone, showed that in the first case the results were more spectacular. The evaluation of each preparation in terms of yield (% total progressively motile sperm count after treatment in relation to the initial total sperm count) revealed that the combined approach resulted in 29.8% vs. 18.5% with density treatment alone (p=0.0121). DNase I treatment results in an improvement of sperm motility and morphology and could be beneficial to men with hyperviscous semen in assisted reproduction protocols.


1982 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Tahara ◽  
Y Maeda ◽  
A Kuroiwa ◽  
K Ueno ◽  
M Obinata ◽  
...  

Storage-protein mRNA was found to be abundant in poly(A)-containing RNA extracted from the fat-body of third-instar larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly). This RNA sedimented at the position of 19S on sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation and the product of its translation in vitro was 75K protein (protein of mol.wt. 75 000), which was precipitated specifically with antibody against storage protein. This product was suggested to contain a signal sequence that is missing in mature storage protein. The poly(A)-containing RNA was also found to contain much of another mRNA coding for 25K protein (protein of mol.wt. 25 000), but the function of this protein is unknown.


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