Restoration of seminal plasma to stallion spermatozoa selected by colloid centrifugation increases sperm progressive motility but is detrimental to chromatin integrity.
Abstract: There is controversy about whether the presence of some seminal plasma (SP) in an equine insemination dose is necessary for promoting fertility. A new technique for improving stallion sperm quality, single layer centrifugation (SLC) using a species-specific colloid, Androcoll-E, selects a sperm subpopulation that is highly motile with normal morphology, intact membranes and good chromatin integrity from the rest of the ejaculate and removes SP. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of restoring homologous SP (5% and 10%) on the progressive motility, velocity, and chromatin integrity of SLC-selected stallion spermatozoa in 44 semen samples over time. Sperm progressive motility (P50 μm/sec) were increased in samples where SP was restored, whereas the proportion with class B velocity (10 to 50 μm/sec) was decreased compared with SLC samples. However, after 24 h cold storage of treated samples, progressive motility was not different for the SP-treated groups compared with SLC, whereas chromatin damage DNA fragmentation index (%DFI) was higher. In contrast, adding SP to untreated 24 h-stored SLC samples did not affect progressive motility although it did increase the proportion of spermatozoa with class A velocity. There was individual variation between stallions whether 5% or 10% SP produced a greater increase in progressive motility. In conclusion, 5% to 10% SP can be added back to SLC-selected samples if considered necessary to optimize fertility. However, it should be added immediately before insemination rather than before storage of the sperm dose, to benefit from the transient increase in sperm progressive motility and avoid increased chromatin damage.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-04-10 PubMed ID: 22494676DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.02.009Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research paper investigates the effects of reintroducing seminal plasma (SP), which is typically removed during sperm improvement procedures, to stallion sperm samples. Key findings suggest that while the reintroduction of SP can improve sperm motility, it may also cause chromatin damage if the sperm samples are stored after the procedure.
Restoration of Seminal Plasma in Stallion Sperm
- The necessity of some amount of seminal plasma (SP) in a stallion’s insemination dose is a debated topic. The seminal plasma is usually removed during single layer centrifugation (SLC), a technique done to improve the quality of stallion sperm.
- SLC involves using a species-specific colloid called ‘Androcoll-E’, which isolates a subpopulation of sperm that shows high motility, normal morphology, intact membranes, and good chromatin integrity. However, it also removes the SP.
- This research explores the impact on sperm motility and chromatin integrity when the homologous SP is reintroduced to the SLC-selected spermatozoa. The study involved 44 semen samples, where the SP was restored in quantities of 5% and 10%.
Findings and Implications
- The process of restoring SP in the samples resulted in an increase in sperm progressive motility and improved the proportion of sperm with class A velocity (>50 μm/sec), although it reduced the proportion of sperm with class B velocity (10 to 50 μm/sec).
- However, after 24 hours of cold storage, the SP-treated samples showed no difference in progressive motility compared to non-SP-treated samples. Yet, they had a higher DNA damage fragmentation index (%DFI), indicating a compromise on chromatin integrity.
- Interestingly, the reintroduction of SP to untreated cold-stored SLC samples after 24 hours did not affect the sperm’s progressive motility. Instead, it increased the proportion of sperm with class A velocity. The results also indicate individual differences between stallions related to whether a 5% or 10% SP resulted in higher progressive motility.
- The research concludes that SP can be added back to SLC-selected stallion sperm samples if better fertility is desirable. However, it must happen right before insemination, not before storage, to maximize the transient increase in progressive motility and minimize chromatin damage.
Cite This Article
APA
Morrell JM, Pihl J, Dalin AM, Johannisson A.
(2012).
Restoration of seminal plasma to stallion spermatozoa selected by colloid centrifugation increases sperm progressive motility but is detrimental to chromatin integrity.
Theriogenology, 78(2), 345-352.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.02.009 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Clinical Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, Uppsala, Sweden. jane.morrell@kv.slu.se
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Centrifugation / methods
- Centrifugation / veterinary
- Chromatin / pathology
- Colloids
- DNA Fragmentation
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Semen / physiology
- Sperm Motility / physiology
- Spermatozoa / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Morrell JM, Rocha A. A Novel Approach to Minimising Acute Equine Endometritis That May Help to Prevent the Development of the Chronic State. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:799619.
- Johannisson A, Al-Essawe EM, Al-Saffar AK, Karkehabadi S, Lima-Verde I, Wulf M, Aurich C, Morrell JM. Season does not have a deleterious effect on proportions of stallion seminal plasma proteins. J Reprod Dev 2020 Jun 12;66(3):215-221.
- Brazdova A, Senechal H, Peltre G, Poncet P. Immune Aspects of Female Infertility. Int J Fertil Steril 2016 Apr-Jun;10(1):1-10.
- Morrell JM, Johannisson A. Comparison of the Effect of Heterologous and Homologous Seminal Plasma on Motility and Chromatin Integrity of Stallion Spermatozoa Selected by Single Layer Centrifugation. J Vet Med 2014;2014:325451.
- Gutiérrez-Cepeda L, Fernández A, Crespo F, Ramírez MÁ, Gosálvez J, Serres C. The effect of two pre-cryopreservation single layer colloidal centrifugation protocols in combination with different freezing extenders on the fragmentation dynamics of thawed equine sperm DNA. Acta Vet Scand 2012 Dec 5;54(1):72.
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