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Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2008; 50(1); 2; doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-50-2

Sperm morphology and chromatin integrity in Swedish warmblood stallions and their relationship to pregnancy rates.

Abstract: Artificial insemination is not as widely used in horses as in other domestic species, such as dairy cattle and pigs, partly because of the wide variation in sperm quality between stallion ejaculates and partly due to decreased fertility following the use of cooled transported spermatozoa. Furthermore, predictive tests for sperm fertilising ability are lacking. The objective of the present study was to assess sperm morphology and chromatin integrity in ejaculates obtained from 11 warmblood breeding stallions in Sweden, and to evaluate the relationship of these parameters to pregnancy rates to investigate the possibility of using these tests predictively. Methods: Aliquots from fortyone ejaculates, obtained as part of the normal semen collection schedule at the Swedish National Stud, were used for morphological analysis by light microscopy, whereas thirtyseven were used for chromatin analysis (SCSA) by flow cytometry. The outcome of inseminations using these ejaculates was made available later in the same year. Results: Ranges for the different parameters were as follows; normal morphology, 27-79.5%; DNA-fragmentation index (DFI), 4.8-19.0%; standard deviation of DNA fragmentation index (SD_DFI) 41.5-98.9, and mean of DNA fragmentation index (mean_DFI), 267.7-319.5. There was considerable variation among stallions, which was statistically significant for all these parameters except for mean_DFI (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.001 and P < 0.2 respectively). There was a negative relationship between normal morphology and DFI (P < 0.05), between normal morphology and SD_DFI (P < 0.001), and between normal morphology and mean_DFI (P < 0.05). For specific defects, there was a direct relationship between the incidence of pear-shaped sperm heads and DFI (P < 0.05), and also nuclear pouches and DFI (P < 0.001), indicating that either morphological analysis or chromatin analysis was able to identify abnormalities in spermiogenesis that could compromise DNA-integrity. A positive relationship was found between normal morphology and pregnancy rate following insemination (r = 0.789; P < 0.01) and a negative relationship existed between DFI and pregnancy rate (r = -0.63; P < 0.05). Sperm motility, assessed subjectively, was not related to conception rate. Conclusions: Either or both of the parameters, sperm morphology and sperm chromatin integrity, seem to be useful in predicting the fertilising ability of stallion ejaculates, particularly in determining cases of sub-fertility.
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Publication Date: 2008-01-07 PubMed ID: 18179691PubMed Central: PMC2246141DOI: 10.1186/1751-0147-50-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article revolves around examining sperm morphology and chromatin integrity from Swedish warmblood breeding stallions, investigating the correlation between these parameters and pregnancy rates, in the pursuit of potential predictive tests for sperm fertilising ability.

Methods and Experimentation

The researchers used semen from 11 warmblood stallions in Sweden, obtained from the regular semen collection at the Swedish National Stud. From 41 examples of stallion ejaculate:

  • Morphological analysis was performed using light microscopy on the semen samples.
  • Out of these, 37 were used for chromatin analysis, referred to as SCSA (Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay), conducted through flow cytometry.
  • The results of inseminations done with these ejaculates were kept confidential until later in the year.

Key Findings

The results of the researchers were outlined as follows:

  • An observed range for the different parameters included; normal morphology (27-79.5%), DNA-fragmentation index (DFI) (4.8-19.0%), standard deviation of DNA fragmentation index (SD_DFI) (41.5-98.9), and mean of DNA fragmentation index (mean_DFI) (267.7-319.5).
  • There was significant variation among stallions for all parameters except for mean_DFI (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.001 and P < 0.2 respectively).
  • A negative relationship was found between normal morphology and DFI (P < 0.05), normal morphology and SD_DFI (P < 0.001), and normal morphology and mean_DFI (P < 0.05).
  • Specific defects were also observed with a direct relationship evident between the existence of pear-shaped sperm heads and DFI (P < 0.05), and nuclear pouches and DFI (P < 0.001), stating that morphological analysis or chromatin analysis could identify abnormalities in spermiogenesis that may compromise DNA-integrity.
  • A positive correlation was established between normal morphology and pregnancy rate post-insemination (r = 0.789; P < 0.01) and a negative correlation between DFI and pregnancy rate (r = -0.63; P < 0.05).
  • Sperm motility, when assessed subjectively, showcased no relation to conception rate.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that either or both parameters – sperm morphology and chromatin integrity – could potentially act as a predictor for fertilising capability of stallion ejaculates. They may be particularly useful for identifying cases of sub-fertility. However, sperm motility, when subjectively evaluated, did not display a correlation with conception rate.

Cite This Article

APA
Morrell JM, Johannisson A, Dalin AM, Hammar L, Sandebert T, Rodriguez-Martinez H. (2008). Sperm morphology and chromatin integrity in Swedish warmblood stallions and their relationship to pregnancy rates. Acta Vet Scand, 50(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-50-2

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 50
Issue: 1
Pages: 2

Researcher Affiliations

Morrell, Jane M
  • Division of Reproduction, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Ullsvägen 14C, Clinical Centre, Uppsala, Sweden. jane.morrell@kv.slu.se
Johannisson, Anders
    Dalin, Anne-Marie
      Hammar, Linda
        Sandebert, Thomas
          Rodriguez-Martinez, Heriberto

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Chromatin / physiology
            • Chromatin / ultrastructure
            • Female
            • Fertility / physiology
            • Flow Cytometry / veterinary
            • Horses / physiology
            • Insemination, Artificial / veterinary
            • Male
            • Predictive Value of Tests
            • Pregnancy
            • Pregnancy Rate
            • Sperm Count / veterinary
            • Spermatozoa / abnormalities
            • Spermatozoa / physiology
            • Spermatozoa / ultrastructure
            • Sweden

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            This article includes 23 references

            Citations

            This article has been cited 19 times.
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