Enzymatic scavengers in the epididymal fluid: comparison between pony and miniature breed stallions.
Abstract: The use of stallion semen collected from cauda epididymis for AI has increased due to the new protocols available for cryopreservation. Preserving the genetic material from valuable males that suffer sudden death or other events that prematurely end the stallion's reproductive life is an important strategy for Stud breeding management. While protecting spermatozoa from oxidative stress and infectious agents, the epididymis promotes the enhancement of sperm cell morphology and changes in membrane protein profile, increasing its fertility potential. The epididymal fluid must be a balanced redox environment to allow sperm preservation and protein-protein and protein-lipids interactions to quantify. The aim of this study was quantify the enzymatic ROS scavengers in epididymal fluid of pony and miniature breed stallions. Epididymides from 8 pony stallions and 12 miniature breed stallions were dissected and fluid from caput, corpus and cauda epididymis collected. Spermatozoa were separated of epididymal fluid by 2-step centrifugation. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured and compared between stallion groups and epididymal regions. The three enzymes were present in all epididymal regions tested, with higher activities of catalase and SOD in cauda epididymis in miniature breed stallions (P<0.05). GPx activity was higher in caput epididymis in pony stallions (P<0.05), however with no difference to fluid from cauda epididymis of both breeds. These results show a difference in antioxidant enzymatic scavengers between pony and miniature breed stallions. Also, our data confirm the protective role of cauda epididymis, preserving spermatozoa integrity from oxidative damage. As glutathione peroxidase is involved in several signaling pathways, its constant activity during epididymal transit corroborates the importance of this enzyme for spermatozoa maturation.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2014-11-04 PubMed ID: 25459078DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.10.015Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research paper investigates how the enzymes in epididymal fluid differ between pony and miniature breed stallions, providing insights into the protection and preservation of sperm cells which could influence horse breeding methods.
Study Overview and Purpose
- The study is focused on the investigation of enzymatic ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavengers in the epididymal fluid of pony and miniature breed stallions with the aim of comparing the findings with existing data.
- This epidemic fluid is crucial for sperm preservation and enhancing fertility potential as it provides protection against oxidative stress and infectious agents.
- Recent developments in cryopreservation protocols have led to increasing use of stallion semen from the cauda epididymis for artificial insemination (AI) in order to safeguard the genetic material from valuable males that die suddenly or experience premature termination of their reproductive life.
Research Methodology
- Eight pony stallions and 12 miniature breed stallions were studied, with the fluid from caput, corpus and cauda epididymis collected post dissection.
- The spermatozoa were then separated from the epididymal fluid by a 2-step centrifugation process.
- Followed by measuring and comparing the activities of three enzymes – catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) – between the stallion groups and different epididymal regions.
Key Findings
- It was found that all three enzymes were present in all epididymal regions tested.
- Notably, higher activities of catalase and SOD were observed in cauda epididymis amongst the miniature breed stallions.
- Meanwhile, GPx activity was higher in caput epididymis in pony stallions, however, there was no significant difference when compared to fluid from cauda epididymis of both breeds.
- These results highlight the variation in antioxidant enzymatic scavengers between pony and miniature breed stallions.
- The data also confirm the key role of the cauda epididymis in protecting the integrity of spermatozoa from oxidative damage.
- Due to GPx’s involvement in several signaling pathways, its constant activity during epididymal transit underscores this enzyme’s importance for spermatozoa maturation.
Cite This Article
APA
Bustamante-Filho IC, Rosa AP, Van der Linden LS, Pederzolli CD, Neves AP, Dutra-Filho CS, Jobim MI, Mattos RC.
(2014).
Enzymatic scavengers in the epididymal fluid: comparison between pony and miniature breed stallions.
Anim Reprod Sci, 151(3-4), 164-168.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.10.015 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia, UNIVATES, Rua Avelino Tallini, 171, Lajeado 95000-000, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: ivanbustamante@univates.br.
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcellos, 2600, Anexo, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil.
- REPROLAB, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, 91540-000 Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcellos, 2600, Anexo, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil.
- Universidade Federal do Pampa, Rua 21 de Abril, 80, Dom Pedrito, RS, Brazil.
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcellos, 2600, Anexo, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil.
- REPROLAB, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, 91540-000 Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- REPROLAB, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9090, 91540-000 Porto Alegre, Brazil.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Breeding
- Catalase / metabolism
- Enzymes / metabolism
- Epididymis / metabolism
- Free Radical Scavengers / metabolism
- Glutathione Peroxidase / metabolism
- Horses / metabolism
- Male
- Semen / enzymology
- Semen / metabolism
- Sperm Retrieval / veterinary
- Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Li Y, Sun Y, Ni A, Shi L, Wang P, Isa AM, Ge P, Jiang L, Fan J, Ma H, Yang G, Chen J. Seminal Plasma Proteome as an Indicator of Sperm Dysfunction and Low Sperm Motility in Chickens. Mol Cell Proteomics 2020 Jun;19(6):1035-1046.
- Kumar A, Yadav B, Swain DK, Anand M, Madan AK, Yadav RKS, Kushawaha B, Yadav S. Dynamics of HSPA1A and redox status in the spermatozoa and fluid from different segments of goat epididymis. Cell Stress Chaperones 2020 May;25(3):509-517.
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