RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Evaluation of ram semen quality using polyacrylamide gel instead of cervical mucus in the sperm penetration test
A1 Martínez Rodríguez, Carmen
A1 Álvarez García, Mercedes
A1 Ordás, L.
A1 Chamorro Álvarez, César Ángel
A1 Martínez Pastor, Felipe
A1 Anel Rodríguez, Luis
A1 Paz Cabello, Paulino de
A2 Biologia Celular
K1 Veterinaria
K1 Ram
K1 Sperm quality
K1 Penetration test
K1 Motility
K1 Mucus
AB Fertility is a very complex biological function that depends on several properties of the spermatozoa, including sperm motility. Two objectives are analyzed in this study: (1) Replace the cervical mucus by a synthetic medium in a sperm penetration test, and (2) evaluating the results of this test objectively analyzing the sperm number that migrates. In experiment 1, we have tested eight concentrations of acrylamide (1%–2%). Rheological properties of media were analyzed. The plastic straws, loaded with acrylamide, were placed vertically on the semen sample tube for 15 min at 39 °C. After, the acrylamides were placed, by segments of 5 mm, into wells of a 24-well plate, dyed with Hoechst 33342 and the number of spermatozoa were calculated by automated microscopy analysis. The 1.55% and 1.6% acrylamide gel showed a number of spermatozoa emigrating closer to that seen with natural mucus. In experiment 2, we applied the sperm penetration in acrylamide 1.6% and 1.55% using fresh semen and cooled semen at 15 °C and 5 °C. The spermatozoa counts were performed for each segment of 10 mm. Semen chilled at 15 °C presented intermediate values of sperm counts in comparison with fresh semen (higher) and 5 °C chilled semen. The sperm counts do not differ between acrylamides but the rheological properties of acrylamide 1.6% were more similar to those of the natural cervical mucus. In experiment 3, we have observed significant correlations between the number of spermatozoa and several sperm quality parameters (positive: progressive motility and velocity according to the straight path; negative: damaged acrosomes and apoptotic cells) in 1.6% acrylamide media. We conclude that the size of the cell subpopulation, objectively calculated, that migrate beyond 20 mm in 0.5-mL straws filled with acrylamide is a useful parameter in ram sperm quality assessment and further studies are needed to evaluate its relationship with field fertility.
PB Elsevier
YR 2019
FD 2019-05-16
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10612/10770
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10612/10770
NO Theriogenology, 2012, vol. 77, n. 8
NO P. 1575-1586
DS BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León
RD 19-abr-2024