Removal of seminal plasma enhances membrane stability on fresh and cooled stallion spermatozoa.
Abstract: Fertility is reduced after semen cooling for a considerable number of stallions. The main hypotheses include alterations in plasma membrane following cooling and deleterious influence of seminal plasma. However, interindividual variability is controversial. We hypothesized that the removal of seminal plasma could enhance motility in some 'poor cooler' stallions, but could also affect, negatively or positively, membrane quality in some stallions. This study examined the effect of centrifugation, followed or not by removal of seminal plasma, on parameters indicating semen quality after 48 h at 4 °C: motility, plasma membrane integrity as evaluated by hypo-osmotic swelling test, acrosome integrity and response to a pharmacological induction of acrosome reaction using ionophore A23187. Sixty-six ejaculates from 14 stallions were used, including stallions showing high or low sperm motility after cooled storage. Centrifugation without removal of seminal plasma did not affect sperm parameters. Removal of seminal plasma did not affect motility, but significantly stabilized sperm membranes, as demonstrated by a higher response to the osmotic challenge, and a reduced reactivity of the acrosome. Moreover, for the same semen sample, the response to an induction of acrosome reaction was significantly higher when the induction was performed in the presence of seminal plasma, compared with the induction in the absence of seminal plasma. This was observed both for fresh and cooled semen. When the induction of acrosome reaction with ionophore A23187 is used to evaluate sperm quality, care must therefore be taken to standardize the proportion of seminal plasma between samples. For the 10 stallions serving at least 25 mares, the only variable significantly correlated with fertility was motility. The influence of membrane stabilization regarding fertility requires further investigations.
© 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Publication Date: 2012-04-24 PubMed ID: 22524671DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2012.02026.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research focused on the investigation of whether removing seminal plasma from stallion semen could enhance its quality after cooling. It’s found that while the removal didn’t affect sperm motility, it significantly stabilized the sperm membranes and reduced acrosome reactivity.
Research Objective
The objective of the research was to study the effects of seminal plasma removal from stallion ejaculates. The study aimed to identify if the removal could enhance sperm quality, specifically focusing on parameters such as motility, plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, and response to pharmacological induction of acrosome reaction.
Methodology
- The study used 66 ejaculates from 14 stallions, which included specimens from stallions showing high and low sperm motility after cooled storage.
- Experiments were conducted on semen samples both with and without the seminal plasma. Semen was cooled and stored for 48 hours at a temperature of 4°C.
- The researchers utilized a hypo-osmotic swelling test to evaluate the integrity of each sperm sample’s plasma membrane.
- In addition, a pharmacological induction of acrosome reaction was performed on each sample using the ionophore A23187.
Findings
- It was found that the removal of seminal plasma did not affect the motility of the sperm, but significantly improved the stability of the sperm membranes. This was evidenced by a higher response to osmotic challenges and a reduction in acrosome reactivity.
- The response to an induction of acrosome reaction, when done in the presence of seminal plasma, showed a higher rate when compared to the induction done without seminal plasma.
- They concluded that if the induction of the acrosome reaction with ionophore is used to measure sperm quality, standardizing the seminal plasma proportion within the samples is crucial.
Conclusion and Future Research
Upon analysis of the data, for the 10 stallions serving at least 25 mares, the only variable that significantly correlated with fertility was found to be motility. This indicates that while membrane stabilization is significant, its precise influence on fertility needs further analysis. The study concludes by suggesting more investigations in this aspect to get a deeper understanding of how seminal plasma influences stallion fertility.
Cite This Article
APA
Barrier-Battut I, Bonnet C, Giraudo A, Dubois C, Caillaud M, Vidament M.
(2012).
Removal of seminal plasma enhances membrane stability on fresh and cooled stallion spermatozoa.
Reprod Domest Anim, 48(1), 64-71.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0531.2012.02026.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- French National Studs, IFCE, la Jumenterie du Pin, Exmes, France.
MeSH Terms
- Acrosome Reaction / drug effects
- Animals
- Calcimycin / pharmacology
- Cell Membrane / physiology
- Centrifugation
- Cold Temperature
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Semen / physiology
- Semen Preservation / methods
- Semen Preservation / veterinary
- Sperm Motility
- Spermatozoa / cytology
- Spermatozoa / drug effects
- Spermatozoa / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Gobato MLM, Segabinazzi LGTM, Scheeren VFC, Bandeira RS, Freitas-Dell'Aqua CP, Dell'Aqua JA Jr, Papa FO. Ability of donkey sperm to tolerate cooling: Effect of extender base and removal of seminal plasma on sperm parameters and fertility rates in mares. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1011899.
- Papas M, Catalán J, Recuero S, Morrell JM, Yeste M, Miró J. Single Layer Centrifugation Improves the Quality of Fresh Donkey Semen and Modifies the Sperm Ability to Interact with Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 16;10(11).
- Medica AJ, Gibb Z, Aitken RJ. Optimizing equine sperm quality: an alternative to single layer centrifugation for sperm isolation. Reprod Fertil 2024 Oct 1;5(4).
- Neila-Montero M, Alvarez M, Riesco MF, Soriano-Úbeda C, Montes-Garrido R, Palacin-Martinez C, de Paz P, Anel L, Anel-Lopez L. Seminal plasma removal for medium-term preservation of ram sperm at 5 °C. BMC Vet Res 2024 Aug 12;20(1):360.
- Neila-Montero M, Alvarez M, Riesco MF, Soriano-Úbeda C, Montes-Garrido R, Palacin-Martinez C, de Paz P, Anel L, Anel-Lopez L. The Adaptation Time to the Extender as a Crucial Step for an Accurate Evaluation of Ram Sperm Quality during the Liquid Storage. Vet Sci 2024 Mar 16;11(3).
- Al-Kass Z, Morrell JM. Freezing Stallion Semen-What Do We Need to Focus on for the Future?. Vet Sci 2024 Feb 2;11(2).
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