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The paradoxical relationship between stallion fertility and oxidative stress.
Abstract: The relationship between stallion fertility and oxidative stress remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to identify criteria for thoroughbred fertility assessment by performing a logistical regression analysis using "dismount" sperm parameters as predictors and weekly per-cycle conception rate as the dependent variable. Paradoxically, positive relationships between fertility and oxidative stress were revealed, such that samples that produced pregnancies exhibited higher rates of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine release (1490.2% vs. 705.5 pg/ml/24 h) and lower vitality (60.5% vs. 69.6%) and acrosome integrity (40.2% vs. 50.1%) than those that did not. We hypothesized that the most fertile spermatozoa exhibited the highest levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), with oxidative stress simply being a by-product of intense mitochondrial activity. Accordingly, an experiment to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and motility was conducted and revealed positive correlations between mitochondrial ROS and total motility (R² = 0.90), rapid motility (R² = 0.89), average path velocity (VAP; R² = 0.59), and curvilinear velocity (VCL; R² = 0.66). Similarly, lipid peroxidation was positively correlated with total motility (R² = 0.46), rapid motility (R² = 0.51), average path velocity (R² = 0.62), and VCL (R² = 0.56), supporting the aforementioned hypothesis. The relative importance of OXPHOS in supporting the motility of equine spermatozoa was contrasted with human spermatozoa, which primarily utilize glycolysis. In this study, mitochondrial inhibition significantly reduced the velocity (P < 0.01) and ATP (P < 0.05) content of equine, but not human, spermatozoa, emphasizing the former's relative dependence on OXPHOS. The equine is the first mammal in which such a positive relationship between oxidative stress and functionality has been observed, with implications for the management of stallion fertility in vitro and in vivo.
© 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.
Publication Date: 2014-07-30 PubMed ID: 25078685DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.114.118539Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This is a research study investigating the relationship between fertility in stallions and oxidative stress. Surprisingly, the study discovered a positive connection between the two, speculating that the fertility might be due to a heightened level of oxidative stress being a result of strong mitochondrial activity in the most fertile spermatozoa.
Understanding the Research Focus
- The subject of this research is the relationship between stallion fertility and oxidative stress. The objective of the study was to create evaluation standards for thoroughbred fertility.
- The researchers carried out a logistic regression analysis, using sperm parameters as predictors and the weekly conception rate per cycle as the dependent variable.
Key Findings
- Unexpectedly, the study found positive relationships between fertility and oxidative stress. Specifically, samples that resulted in pregnancies showed higher levels of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine release and lower vitality and acrosome integrity as compared to those that did not.
- The study hypothesizes that the most fertile sperm cells exhibit the highest levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and oxidative stress is merely a result of strong mitochondrial activity.
More Experiments and Results
- An additional experiment investigating the relationship between oxidative stress and motility was conducted, which revealed a positive correlation between mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and various measures of motility (total, rapid, average path velocity, curvilinear velocity).
- Lipid peroxidation also positively correlated with these measures of motility, supporting the hypothesis of a key role for OXPHOS in equine sperm function.
Comparative Results and Implications
- The study underscored the importance of OXPHOS relative to glycolysis in equine sperm motility, as compared to human sperm which primarily relies on glycolysis.
- The inhibition of the mitochondria significantly reduced the velocity and ATP content in horse sperm, but not in human sperm, emphasizing the former’s relative dependence on OXPHOS.
- The horse is the first mammal where a positive relationship between oxidative stress and functionality has been observed. These results have implications for the management of stallion fertility both in vitro and in vivo.
Cite This Article
APA
Gibb Z, Lambourne SR, Aitken RJ.
(2014).
The paradoxical relationship between stallion fertility and oxidative stress.
Biol Reprod, 91(3), 77.
https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.114.118539 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, Discipline of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia zamira.gibb@newcastle.edu.au.
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, Discipline of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, Discipline of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Inbred Strains
- Biomarkers / metabolism
- Fertility
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses / physiology
- Infertility, Male / diagnosis
- Infertility, Male / metabolism
- Infertility, Male / physiopathology
- Infertility, Male / veterinary
- Lipid Peroxidation / drug effects
- Logistic Models
- Male
- Mitochondria / drug effects
- Mitochondria / metabolism
- New South Wales
- Oxidative Phosphorylation / drug effects
- Oxidative Stress
- Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
- Semen Analysis / veterinary
- Species Specificity
- Sperm Motility / drug effects
- Spermatozoa / drug effects
- Spermatozoa / metabolism
- Uncoupling Agents / pharmacology
Citations
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