Metabolomic signature of spermatozoa established during holding time is responsible for differences in boar sperm freezability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana A Torres ◽  
Ana Carolina Pedrosa ◽  
Francisco José Novais ◽  
Diego V Alkmin ◽  
Bruce R Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Membrane Lipid ◽  
Holding Time ◽  
Glutathione Metabolism ◽  
Mitochondrial Potential ◽  
Metabolic Markers ◽  
Boar Sperm ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Holding at room temperature is the first step in most boar semen cryopreservation protocols. It is well accepted that a holding time (HT) of 24 h increases sperm cryotolerance. However, the effect of HT on ejaculates with different freezability is not entirely clear. The aim of this study was to understand how HT influences spermatic and seminal plasma metabolite profiles of boar ejaculates and how these possible changes affect freezability. Twenty-seven ejaculates were collected and extended to 1:1 (v: v) with BTS and split into two aliquots. The first aliquot was cryopreserved without holding time (0 h), and the second was held at 17°C for 24 h before cryopreservation. Spermatozoa and seminal plasma were collected by centrifugation at two times, before HT (0 h) and after HT (24 h), and subsequently frozen until metabolite extraction and UPLC–MS analysis. After thawing, the semen samples were evaluated for kinetics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial potential, membrane lipid peroxidation, and fluidity. The ejaculates were then allocated into two phenotypes (good ejaculate freezers [GEF] and poor ejaculate freezers [PEF]) based on the percent reduction in sperm quality (%RSQ) as determined by the difference in total motility and membrane integrity between raw and post-thaw samples cryopreserved after 24 h of HT. The metabolic profile of the seminal plasma did not seem to influence ejaculate freezability, but that of the spermatozoa were markedly different between GEF and PEF. We identified a number of metabolic markers in the sperm cells (including inosine, hypoxanthine, creatine, ADP, niacinamide, spermine, and 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine) that were directly related to the improvement of ejaculate freezability during HT; these were components of metabolic pathways associated with energy production. Furthermore, PEF showed an up-regulation in the arginine and proline as well as the glutathione metabolism pathways. These findings help to better understand the effect of holding time on boar sperm freezability and propose prospective metabolic markers that may predict freezability; this has implications in both basic and applied sciences.

scholarly journals Macro- and microelements in serum and seminal plasma as biomarkers for bull sperm cryotolerance

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Zakošek Pipan ◽  
Petra Zrimšek ◽  
Breda Jakovac Strajn ◽  
Katarina Pavšič Vrtač ◽  
Tanja Knific ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Semen Quality ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Additional Tool ◽  
Bull Semen ◽  
Bull Sperm ◽  
Fresh Semen

ABSTRACT Background Wide variation in fertility rates is observed when using frozen bull semen, even when the bulls have met quality standards for semen production. Therefore, a simple and reliable test to assess the freezing potential of bull semen based on the analysis of fresh semen or blood would be of great value. Attention is now turning to assessment of seminal plasma components such as proteins and elements. In the present study, the concentrations of macro- and microelements in fresh bull semen plasma and in serum and their correlation with quality characteristics of fresh semen and with semen quality after freezing and thawing were determined. Ejaculates were collected from 30 mature bulls, and semen volume, concentration, sperm motility, morphology, tail membrane integrity, plasma membrane permeability and DNA fragmentation were determined on the day of collection and after freezing and thawing. The concentrations of macroelements (Na, Mg, K and Ca) and microelements (Cu, Fe, Zn and Se) were determined in the seminal plasma and serum. The semen samples were classified into satisfactory and unsatisfactory groups according to the fresh semen quality. Results Zinc and Se levels measured in serum were associated with almost all fresh and frozen-thawed semen quality characteristics, while Fe levels were associated only with acrosomal defects in fresh semen. Zinc and Fe levels in fresh seminal plasma were associated with various quality characteristics of fresh and frozen-thawed semen, while Se level in fresh seminal plasma was not associated with any of the semen quality characteristics. Conclusions Microelements were shown to be useful as biomarkers involved in the analysis of bull sperm quality and could be used as an additional tool to predict bull semen quality after freezing and thawing. Our results confirm that the analysis of Zn and Se levels in serum and Zn, Cu and Fe levels in fresh seminal plasma can provide information to discriminate between bull semen samples with spermatozoa with high or low cryotolerance.

Seminal plasma proteins protect flow-sorted ram spermatozoa from freeze - thaw damage

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 571 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Leahy ◽  
J. I. Marti ◽  
G. Evans ◽  
W. M. C. Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Weight Fraction ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
Freezing Process ◽  
Spermatozoa Motility ◽  
Functional Integrity

Seminal plasma improves the functional integrity of compromised ram spermatozoa but has been reported to be toxic to sorted spermatozoa. The present study attempted to clarify this paradoxical effect and improve the functional integrity of spermatozoa following sorting and cryopreservation. The in vitro function of sorted spermatozoa (motility characteristics and membrane integrity) was examined after supplementation with differing concentrations and protein fractions of seminal plasma at various stages of the sorting and freezing process. For all experiments, spermatozoa (two males, n = four ejaculates per male) were processed through a high-speed flow cytometer before cryopreservation, thawing and incubation for 6 h (37°C). Supplementation of crude seminal plasma (CP), its low molecular weight fraction (LP; <10 kDa) or protein-rich fraction (SPP; >10 kDa), immediately before freezing improved the functional integrity of sorted spermatozoa compared with no supplementation (control), whereas supplementation after thawing had no effect for CP and LP. The protective effect of seminal plasma was not altered by increasing the amount of protein supplementation. No toxic effect of CP, SPP or LP was evident even when supplemented at high protein concentrations. It is concluded that seminal plasma protein, if added to ram spermatozoa after sorting and before freezing, can improve post-thaw sperm quality and consequently the efficiency of sorting. This effect is most likely related to protection of the spermatozoa during freeze–thawing.

Absence of seminal plasma from sperm-rich fraction decreases boar sperm quality characteristics during the course of liquid storage

2018 ◽  
Vol 198 ◽  
pp. 20-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.F. Leal ◽  
M.A. Torres ◽  
G.M. Ravagnani ◽  
S.M.M.K. Martins ◽  
F.V. Meirelles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Liquid Storage ◽  
Boar Sperm

scholarly journals From One Ejaculate to Another: Transference of Sperm Traits via Seminal Plasma Supplementation in the Ram

Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Christine Green ◽  
Jessica P. Rickard ◽  
Simon P. de Graaf ◽  
Angela J. Crean
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sperm Traits

Males can adjust sperm motility instantaneously in response to the perceived risk of sperm competition. The speed of this response suggests that sperm motility is regulated by changes in seminal plasma rather than changes in the sperm cells themselves. Hence, here we test whether inter-ejaculate variation in seminal plasma can be used to alter sperm quality prior to use in assisted reproductive technologies. We supplemented fresh ejaculates of Merino rams with seminal plasma collected from previous ‘donor’ ejaculates to test whether changes in sperm kinetics were related to the relative quality of donor to focal ejaculates. We found a positive relationship between the change in sperm traits before and after supplementation, and the difference in sperm traits between the donor and focal ejaculate. Hence, sperm motility can be either increased or decreased through the addition of seminal plasma from a superior or inferior ejaculate, respectively. This positive relationship held true even when seminal plasma was added from a previous ejaculate of the same ram, although the slope of the relationship depended on the identity of both the donor and receiver ram. These findings indicate that seminal plasma plays a key role in the control and regulation of sperm kinetics, and that sperm kinetic traits can be transferred from one ejaculate to another through seminal plasma supplementation.

113 EFFECT OF SPERM COATING ON THE QUALITY OF BOVINE FROZEN - THAWED SPERMATOZOA

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
M. Thys ◽  
A. Van Soom ◽  
J. Dewulf ◽  
T. Rijsselaere ◽  
A. de Kruif
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Egg Yolk ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Bovine Sperm ◽  
Sperm Characteristics ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Group 1

The substantial decrease of sperm quality after cryopreservation remains an important issue in the artificial insemination industry. Sperm coating with Triladyl® (Minitübe, Tiefenbach, Germany) during ejaculation can preserve sperm characteristics and oocyte penetrating capacity of fresh bovine spermatozoa stored in egg yolk diluent for up to 6 days (De Pauw et al. 2003 Theriogenology 59, 1109–1122). Since collecting semen in a tube containing egg yolk-Tris extender (sperm coating) limits the period of contact between spermatozoa and seminal plasma, the present experiment was conducted to assess if this slightly adjusted method of sperm collection could also have a significant effect on bovine sperm quality after cryopreservation. Semen of five young Holstein Friesian bulls was collected by means of an artificial vagina connected to an empty tube (Group 1; five ejaculates per bull) or a tube containing 4 mL of an egg yolk-Tris extender (Groups 2 and 3; each five ejaculates per bull). The semen samples of Group 1 were conventionally diluted in straws (60 × 106 sperm/mL), frozen, and stored in liquid nitrogen. The samples of Group 3 were centrifuged, and after removing diluent and seminal plasma, the sperm pellet was conventionally diluted and processed. The samples of Group 2 were processed without removal of the supernatant. After thawing each ejaculate was analyzed for average path velocity (VAP), beat cross frequency (BCF), and progressive motility (PROG) using CASA (Minitübe, Tiefenbach, Germany). Furthermore, the membrane integrity of each sample was evaluated using fluorescent SYBR®–14/PI staining (BD Biosciences, Erembodegem, Belgium). All parameters were compared among the three groups of sperm using univariate analysis of variance (SPSS 12.0; SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). No significant differences could be observed among the three groups for all of the evaluated sperm characteristics (Table 1). A significant effect of the bull could be determined for all analyzed parameters (P ≤ 0.02), except for the percentage of moribund cells. Nevertheless, the group-bull interaction was never statistically significant. Coating bovine sperm with an egg yolk-Tris extender during ejaculation cannot prevent the substantial deterioration of the spermatozoa that occurs during freezing and thawing since this method of sperm collection does not significantly influence the motility parameters or the membrane integrity after thawing. Table 1. VAP, BCF, PROG, and percentage of membrane-intact, dead, and moribund spermatozoa for the three groups of sperm This research was supported by IWT (no. IWT/020727).

51 STRESS PRECONDITIONING OF SPERMATOZOA WITH SUBLETHAL CONCENTRATIONS OF ETHANOL IMPROVE POST-THAW SPERM QUALITY IN BULL

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
H. Vaseghi-Dodaran ◽  
M. Zhandi ◽  
M. Sharafi ◽  
E. Nejati-Amiri ◽  
A. Nejati-Javaremi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Thiobarbituric Acid ◽  
Sublethal Concentration ◽  
Mitochondrial Activity ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Plasma Membrane Integrity ◽  
The Difference

A variety of controlled mild stressors have been applied for activation of temporary response in oocytes, embryos, and somatic cells. So far, several stressors have been used to induce mild stress, including that of hydrostatic pressure, osmotic stress, mechanical stress, and oxidative challenges. Based on these evidences, we hypothesised that the ethanol in sublethal concentration would be capable of generating mild stress that may ultimately leads to an adaptive response in spermatozoa. To evaluate this hypothesis, semen samples (n = 24, 6 ejaculates/bull) from 4 Holstein bulls were collected and pooled for each replicate. Pooled samples were divided into 5 equal parts and each part diluted with tris-glycerol-based (Optidyl®) extender containing 0 (O-E0), 0.03 (O-E3), 0.09 (O-E9), and 0.15 (O-E15) % (vol/vol) ethanol and frozen. After thawing, sperm motility and velocity parameters (sperm class analysis), apoptosis status (Phospatidylserin Translocation Detection commercial kit), plasma membrane integrity (eosin-Nigrosin staining), malondialdehyde concentration (thiobarbituric acid reaction), and mitochondrial activity (rhodamine-123 and propidium iodide) were evaluated. The data were analysed using Proc Mixed of SAS 9.1 (version 9.1; SAS Institute Inc., 2002, Cary, NC, USA). Tukey's test was used to compare least squares means. As a result, the O-E9 group showed higher (85.2%) percentage of total motility compared with O-E0 (73.6%), O-E3 (51.9%), and O-E15 (67.5%) groups (P < 0.05). A highest (P < 0.05) percentage of live spermatozoa were observed in the O-E9 (62.9%) group as compared with O-E0 (49.4%), O-E3 (50.3%), and O-E15 (49.6%) groups, and also the proportion of apoptotic spermatozoa in the O-E9 (10.6%) group tended to be lowest as compared with those of O-E0 (15.6%), O-E3 (17.2%), O-E15 (14.1%) groups (P > 0.05). The plasma membrane integrity was higher (P < 0.05) in O-E9 (90.8%) compared with O-E3 (75%) and O-E15 (77.2%) groups; however, the difference was not significant when the O-E9 group was compared with the O-E0 group (83.2%; P > 0.05). Obtained results revealed that malondialdehyde level was lower in O-E3 (1.03%), O-E9 (0.63%), and O-E15 (0.89%) groups compared with the O-E0 (1.94%) group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the percentage of live spermatozoa with active mitochondria was higher in O-E9 (57.7%) and O-E15 (57.5%) groups compared with O-E0 (49.1%) and O-E3 (38.2%) groups (P < 0.05). These results strongly suggest that supplementation of Optidyl® extender with sublethal concentration of ethanol influences post-thawed bull sperm quality in a dose-dependent manner. However, further studies are needed to empirically determine the effect of supplementation on fertilization and pregnancy outcome.

scholarly journals Can mineral supplementation modify the characteristics of young buffalo ejaculate?

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5Supl1) ◽  
pp. 2271
Author(s):  
Rinaldo Batista Viana ◽  
Bruno Moura Monteiro ◽  
Elyzabeth da Cruz Cardoso ◽  
José Dantas Ribeiro Filho ◽  
Rodrigo dos Santos Albuquerque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Mineral Supplement ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Mineral Supplements ◽  
Mineral Supplementation ◽  
Semen Characteristics ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Species Specific

This study aimed to determine the influence of mineral supplementation on the concentration of macroelements and microelements in the seminal plasma and the semen characteristics of young buffaloes. To this end, 60 animals were kept under rotational grazing and were randomly divided into two groups: G-Bov (conventional mineral supplement recommended for bovine cattle; n = 30) and G-Buf (mineral supplement recommended for buffaloes; n = 30). Mineral supplement consumption was calculated from the difference between the amount of supplement offered and the leftover bunk, calculated every 28 days. Eight ejaculates from each animal were collected. The means of the response variables were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, with a significance level of 5%, and Pearson’s correlation was analyzed between the concentration of minerals in seminal plasma and fresh semen characteristics. Animals in the G-Buf group had lower mineral supplement consumption (G-Bov = 83.18 vs. G-Buf = 77.14 g AU-1 day-1, P < 0.05) and had higher ejaculate volume, sperm motility, sperm vigor, and sperm mass motility than did the animals in the G-Bov group. This research presented the concentration of macroelements and microelements in the seminal plasma of buffaloes receiving different mineral supplements. In addition, the study concluded that the physical and morphological characteristics of the semen of young buffaloes are influenced by the formulation of the mineral supplement, which resulted in better sperm quality in the animals receiving a species-specific supplement. Among the minerals present in buffalo seminal plasma, phosphorus is the element that shows the highest positive correlation with semen characteristics.

scholarly journals HVCN1 but Not Potassium Channels Are Related to Mammalian Sperm Cryotolerance

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1646
Author(s):  
Ariadna Delgado-Bermúdez ◽  
Yentel Mateo-Otero ◽  
Marc Llavanera ◽  
Sergi Bonet ◽  
Marc Yeste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Membrane Lipid ◽  
Proton Channels ◽  
Lipid Disorder ◽  
Mammalian Sperm

Little data exist about the physiological role of ion channels during the freeze–thaw process in mammalian sperm. Herein, we determined the relevance of potassium channels, including SLO1, and of voltage-gated proton channels (HVCN1) during mammalian sperm cryopreservation, using the pig as a model and through the addition of specific blockers (TEA: tetraethyl ammonium chloride, PAX: paxilline or 2-GBI: 2-guanidino benzimidazole) to the cryoprotective media at either 15 °C or 5 °C. Sperm quality of the control and blocked samples was performed at 30- and 240-min post-thaw, by assessing sperm motility and kinematics, plasma and acrosome membrane integrity, membrane lipid disorder, intracellular calcium levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, and intracellular O2−⁻ and H2O2 levels. General blockade of K+ channels by TEA and specific blockade of SLO1 channels by PAX did not result in alterations in sperm quality after thawing as compared to control samples. In contrast, HVCN1-blocking with 2-GBI led to a significant decrease in post-thaw sperm quality as compared to the control, despite intracellular O2−⁻ and H2O2 levels in 2-GBI blocked samples being lower than in the control and in TEA- and PAX-blocked samples. We can thus conclude that HVCN1 channels are related to mammalian sperm cryotolerance and have an essential role during cryopreservation. In contrast, potassium channels do not seem to play such an instrumental role.

scholarly journals Resveratrol Improves Boar Sperm Quality via 5′AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Activation during Cryopreservation

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhendong Zhu ◽  
Rongnan Li ◽  
Xiaoteng Fan ◽  
Yinghua Lv ◽  
Yi Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Mitochondrial Activity ◽  
Enzymatic Antioxidants ◽  
Ros Production ◽  
Compound C ◽  
Ampk Phosphorylation ◽  
Boar Sperm ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

Mammalian sperm is highly susceptible to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress caused by biochemical and physical modifications during the cryopreservation process. 5′AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved in regulating both cell metabolism and cellular redox status. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the resveratrol protects boar sperm against ROS stress via activation of AMPK during cryopreservation. Boar sperm was diluted with the freezing medium supplemented with resveratrol at different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 μM). It was observed that the addition of 50 μM resveratrol significantly improved the postthaw sperm progressive motility, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity, glutathione (GSH) level, activities of enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase), and the phosphorylation of AMPK. Meanwhile, the lipid peroxidation, ROS levels, and apoptosis of postthaw sperm were reduced in the presence of 50 μM resveratrol. Furthermore, when fresh boar sperm was incubated with the medium in the presence of 50 μM resveratrol and 30 μM Compound C (an AMPK inhibitor), the effects of the resveratrol were partly counteracted by the Compound C. These observations suggest that the resveratrol protects boar sperm via promoting AMPK phosphorylation. In conclusion, the addition of resveratrol to the freezing extenders protects boar sperm against ROS damage via promoting AMPK phosphorylation for decreasing the ROS production and improving the antioxidative defense system of postthaw sperm. These findings provide novel insights into understanding the mechanisms of resveratrol on how to protect boar sperm quality contrary to the ROS production during cryopreservation.

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