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PubMed1994

The impact of sperm motility on non-return rate in preselected dairy bulls.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether variation in sperm motility, after preselection of bulls for this trait, has any impact on the non-return rate (NRR). The material consisted of pre- and post-freezing motility records and NRR records from 117 young Al bulls with at least 100 services each. Data representing 2 breeds at 2 different Al studs were analysed within studs. Both quadratic and linear regression analyses were performed to describe the relationship when the fixed effects of herd-year, month and order number of the insemination, parity and breed of the female, and the effects of service bull were considered simultaneously. The overall correlation with NRR was low. Motility before or after freezing never accounted for more than 1% of the variation in any of the adjusted NRR. These results showed that the remaining variation in motility was a poor predictor of NRR, which still showed a substantial variation between bulls. The significant b-values varied between 0.13 and 0.24. A motility threshold level of 50%, which is often stipulated for approval of the semen after freezing, does not seem to be the optimal choice. In order to avoid unnecessary culling, it is therefore advisable to reduce the level below which ejaculates should be rejected. The examination and selection for fertility should be completed by direct recording and evaluation of NRR. How far the motility level should be lowered to allow bulls to be tested for fertility in the field warrants investigation by utilizing semen with different degrees of reduced motility.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Effect of kallikrein on bull sperm motility in vitro.

The application of kallikrein--a kinin-releasing porcine pancreatic kininogenase--exerted considerable stimulation of bull sperm motility in vitro. The kallikrein was used in two concentrations: 1 and 100 KU/ml semen. Both concentrations gave similar effect: at the 4th hour of incubation at room temperature the motility rate of spermatozoa exceeded five and four times, respectively, that of the control samples. Higher penetrating ability of bull spermatozoa in cow's estral secretion was also recorded in the experimental samples treated with kallikrein in both concentrations at the 2nd and 4th hour of incubation in comparison with the controls.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Technology and instrumentation for semen analyses and AIH/AID. Effect of plastic and glass on sperm motility, pH, and oxidation.

Many materials such as glass and different types of plastic are used today to manufacture sperm containers. The biocompatibility of such material, for human semen is usually taken for granted. This paper demonstrates that some types of materials can, however, affect seminal parameters (sperm motility, pH lipid oxidation) as a function of time, therefore introducing biases in semen analyses. Preliminary results indicate that high-quality polypropylene (or ev. polystyrene) is the best material to achieve medium- or long-time conservation of human semen.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1988

Effect of abstinence on sperm motility in normal men.

We investigated the effect of varying the length of ejaculatory abstinence on sperm motility by a method of automated videomicrography. Ten fertile donors to an artificial insemination clinic provided semen samples at randomly assigned intervals of 12, 24, 72, and 120 hours. All specimens were produced on site, immediately incubated at 37 degrees C, and processed in triplicate. In comparing ejaculates obtained after 12 hours' abstinence with those after 120 hours, semen volume and sperm concentration demonstrated a significant increase with increasing abstinence time (p = 0.03). However, no correlation between abstinence time and percentage of motility, lateral head amplitude, cross-beat frequency, mean velocity, and mean linearity was found. We conclude that motility does not change with ejaculatory frequency and that in normal men prescribed abstinence before analysis of semen for motility characterization may not be necessary.

Humans↗
PubMed1997

Genetic basis of sperm and testis length differences and epistatic effect on hybrid inviability and sperm motility between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia.

Results are reported from a genetic study of hybrid inviability and three 'fertilization traits' (sperm motility and length, and testis size) that affect hybrid sterility between the sibling species Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. The main findings are as follows. (i) For sperm length there was a dominant effect of the D. simulans genome over that of D. sechellia, and the Y chromosome of D. sechellia in the background of D. simulans reduced the sperm length. (ii) In contrast, testis length, in spite of its generally high correlation with sperm length, showed an additive effect. (iii) We found a strong asymmetric incompatibility between the D. sechellia X chromosome and D. simulans autosomes: D. sechellia X chromosome with D. simulans autosomes, but not the reverse, showed a significant reduction in testis length as well as in hybrid inviability compared to the parental species. (iv) Between the two autosomes, chromosome 3 had a greater effect on these traits than chromosome 2, and there was additionally an epistatic effect between these chromosomes with respect to their parental vs. recombinant status: recombinant chromosomes 2 and 3, together, had lower viability than any other combination. (v) The testis size in the backcross generation was greater than the parental species, suggesting that some modifier genes are being released from their species-specific genetic control. (vi) The species-specific homogeneity of the genome was important for all three traits--offspring viability, hybrid male fertility and testis length. These results are discussed with respect to the role of sexual selection and genetic divergence during speciation.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Expression and localization of delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptors in human spermatozoa and implications for sperm motility.

CONTEXT: Endogenous opioid peptides signal through delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptors. Some of these peptides such as endorphins and enkephalins are present in the male reproductive tract, but the presence of the corresponding receptors in human sperm cells has not yet been reported. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to study the expression and localization of delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptors on human spermatozoa and the implication in sperm motility. METHODS: The expression of receptors was studied by RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence techniques. We evaluated the effects of activation of each opioid receptor by specific agonist and antagonist. RESULTS: Human spermatozoa express delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptors. These receptors were located in different parts of the head, in the middle region, and in the tail of the sperm. Progressive motility of spermatozoa, an important parameter to evaluate male fertility, was found to be significantly reduced after incubation with the mu-receptor agonist morphine, whereas this effect was antagonized in the presence of the corresponding antagonist naloxone. The delta-receptor antagonist naltrindole significantly reduced progressive motility immediately after its addition. However, the delta-receptor agonist DPDPE had no significant effect. Finally, neither the kappa-receptor agonist U50488 nor its antagonist nor-binaltorphimine significantly affected the progressive motility of human spermatozoa. CONCLUSION: We report for first time the presence of functional delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptors in human sperm membranes. These findings are indicative of a role for the opioid system in the regulation of sperm physiology.

3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cycloh↗
PubMed1986

Correlation of the fertilising ability of semen from individual male fowls with sperm motility and ATP content.

Individual fertility results were obtained by artificially inseminating semen from 24 cockerels. The fertility thus obtained was shown to be strongly correlated with sperm motility, as measured by an objective spectrophotometric technique (r = 0.82); with sperm ATP concentrations (r = 0.76); and with the morphological integrity of spermatozoa, as judged by light microscopy (r = 0.67).

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1993

Roles of pH and cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the acquisition of potential for sperm motility during migration from the sea to the river in chum salmon.

In the natural process of the migration of chum salmon from the sea to the river, spermatozoa moved from the testis to the sperm duct, and the pH value of seminal plasma, concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the sperm cells, and potential for sperm motility increased. Cyclic AMP levels and the potential for motility gradually increased when testis spermatozoa with no capacity for movement were incubated in the artificial seminal plasma of which the pH was much the same as, or higher than, the pH of natural seminal plasma from the sperm duct. Such correlation in motility, pH, and cyclic AMP suggests that the increases in seminal pH and intracellular cyclic AMP level during passage of spermatozoa from the testis to the sperm duct cause the acquisition of potential for motility. Motility of testicular spermatozoa demembranated with Triton X-100 was very low in fish caught in the sea, while motility of spermatozoa from the posterior portion of the sperm duct was much higher in fish caught in the river. Furthermore, nondemembranated, intact spermatozoa showed a lag in the timing of the acquisition of potential for motility vs. demembranated spermatozoa: The demembranated sperm exhibited the potential earlier than the nondemembranated sperm. These data suggest that increase in activity of the motile apparatus, the axoneme, is a prerequisite, in part, for the acquisition of sperm motility, whereas the development of some function of the plasma membrane also contributes to this phenomenon.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Improvement of sperm motility by the addition of progesterone to the Percoll medium during sperm purification.

The Percoll centrifugation technique is widely used to select the most motile spermatozoa in connection with assisted reproduction techniques (ART). Progesterone is known to enhance the motility of spermatozoa in vivo and in vitro. This study evaluates whether the motility of spermatozoa can be enhanced by the presence of progesterone simultaneously with purification using a routine Percoll centrifugation technique. Motility is measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis. The 100% Percoll medium contained a progesterone concentration of 2 micrograms/ml, which is in the range of that found in pre-ovulatory follicular fluid and peritoneal fluid around ovulation. With a two-layer purification procedure (55/80% Percoll medium), exposure of the progesterone in the Percoll medium for only 25 min caused a highly significant improvement of motility in the spermatozoa isolated from the semen samples of 14 healthy men. It is concluded that the addition of progesterone to the Percoll purification medium can further enhance sperm motility without the need for a change in the routinely used semen purification technique in most assisted reproduction programmes.

Cell Separation↗
PubMed1994

The routine assessment of sperm motility at room temperature and 37 degrees C.

The World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory manual (1992) states that assessment of sperm motility can be performed at either 37 degrees C or room temperature (20-24 degrees C). The motility of spermatozoa in 44 semen samples (22 fresh samples and 22 frozen-thawed samples) was assessed at both of these temperatures and a significant difference in the motility profiles was noted, specifically an increase at 37 degrees C in the percentage (expressed here as median and ranges) of spermatozoa with excellent progressive motility and an overall increase in the percentage with total progressive motility. With fresh samples the excellent progressive motility increased from 41 (19-53) to 54 (30-66) and the overall motility from 58.5 (39-74) to 65.0 (40-79). With the frozen-thawed samples the excellent motility increased from 14 (1-33) to 25 (6-45) and the overall motility from 30.5 (14-51) to 33.0 (16-52). As the WHO laboratory manual was published 'In response to a growing need for the standardisation of procedures for the examination of human spermatozoa' it is proposed that only one temperature for routine analysis should be used, namely 37 degrees C, which may have more physiological relevance and eliminate effects of fluctuations in ambient laboratory temperature.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Sealed mini-chamber of variable depth for direct observation and extended evaluation of sperm motility under the influence of various gases.

A new chamber for microscopical observation of living cells, e.g. spermatozoa, under hermetically sealed conditions and over an extended period is described. Motile spermatozoa were serially observed for several hours and the effect of various gases on sperm motility has been studied. The chamber could also be used to study the effect of various toxic gases in the fields of microbiology and toxicology.

Atmosphere Exposure Chambers↗
PubMed1986

Elaboration of a new culture medium for physiological studies on human sperm motility and capacitation.

The formulation of a new medium based upon published data on human tubal fluid and blood plasma is described. Sperm motility was well maintained for periods of up to 6 h in this 'synthetic tubal fluid' (STF), and movement characteristics (velocity of progression and amplitude of lateral head displacement) were quantitatively and qualitatively similar to values previously reported for other complex media. STF also supported human sperm capacitation and the spontaneous acrosome reaction as determined using the zona-free hamster egg penetration test. Spermatozoa pre-incubated in STF containing blood plasma levels of taurine (86 microM) for 3 h penetrated significantly more oocytes than parallel sperm populations pre-incubate in STF lacking taurine (P less than 0.001). This difference was no longer significant after 5 h of pre-incubation. These findings indicate a possible role for taurine in human sperm capacitation, and demonstrate the potential value of STF for performing more physiological invitro studies on human sperm function.

Culture Media↗
PubMed2002

Identification of ras and its downstream signaling elements and their potential role in hamster sperm motility.

Ras, a member of the small G-protein family, regulates multiple signaling pathways in somatic cells. The objectives of the present study included the characterization and localization of Ras and the identification of its downstream effectors in hamster spermatozoa. Immunoblot analysis with a pan-Ras monoclonal antibody localized Ras to the particulate fraction of sonicated testicular and caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa. However, Ras was present in both the particulate and soluble fractions of spermatocytes and round spermatids, suggesting that its membrane recruitment is completed during spermiogenesis. Immunoblots of plasma membrane fractions demonstrated that hamster spermatozoa express both N-Ras and K-Ras. Indirect immunofluorescence with pan-Ras antibody localized Ras to the flagellum. Immunoblot analysis of sperm plasma membrane fractions demonstrated the presence of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta), the downstream targets of Ras, and coimmunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated their interaction with Ras. Inhibitors of PI3-kinase (wortmannin and 2-(4- morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) and PKCzeta (staurosporine) inhibited the hyperactivation of sperm motility during capacitation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that both PI3-kinase and PKCzeta are associated with development of this motility pattern. The interaction of Ras with both PI3-kinase and PKCzeta suggests that Ras may regulate several signaling pathways in spermatozoa.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effect of anti-relaxin antiserum on sperm motility in vitro.

Rabbit anti-relaxin antisera, but not normal rabbit sera, causes a rapid decline of motility of washed human sperm. Preincubation of the antisera with relaxin eliminates this effect. This sperm immobilization effect can serve as a basis of a rapid screening test for anti-relaxin antisera and as a novel adjuvant to barrier contraceptive methods.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1981

The effect of scrotal circumference, sperm motility and morphology in the ram on conception rates and lambing percentage in the ewe.

Ten Suffolk and ten Lincoln yearling rams were examined for breeding soundness. Semen was evaluated, and the scrotal circumference measured. They were single-sire mated to ten to twelve, whiteface ewe lambs during a 45-day breeding season (October 15-December 1). First-service conception rates, total conception rate, lambing percentage and lambing percentage per ewe exposed were calculated for each ram and breed. The mean scrotal circumference was 36.5 cm (range 31-41.5 cm). The breeding data was then compared for eleven rams with a scrotal circumference of less than 36.5 cm and nine rams greater than 36.5 cm. No direct relationship was demonstrated between scrotal circumference, sperm motility or morphology with fertility in the rams used in this experiment. However, there was a tendency for rams with a high first-service conception rate to have sired more lambs per ewe exposed. The mean first-service conception rate was 63.2% (range 44.4-80.0%). When rams with greater than 63.2% first-service conception rate were compared to those with less than 63.2%. the lambs born per ewe exposed were 1.04 and .89, respectively, a significant difference (P<.05). There were no significant differences (P<.05) in performance between the two groups when rams with a scrotal circumference less than 36.5 cm and greater than 36.5 cm were compared, nor were there any differences between scrotal circumference, sperm motility, and morphology when rams with total conception rates greater than 80% were compared to those with conception rates less than 80%.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Effect of organic and inorganic mercury on human sperm motility.

The effects of mercuric chloride and methyl mercuric chloride on the motility of human spermatozoa in vitro were investigated. Organic as well as inorganic mercury compounds decreased the percentage of motile spermatozoa. After 15 min. incubation with 40 microM mercuric chloride a significant decrease in sperm motility was observed. Less than 5% of spermatozoa were motile after 30 min. of exposure to 20 microM methyl mercuric chloride. These effects could not be attenuated by addition of 5 microM sodium selenite. The ultrastructural localization of mercury was demonstrated by autometallography. Silver-enhanced mercury deposits could be demonstrated only in spermatozoa exposed to inorganic mercury. In these cells mercury grains were most abundant in membranes of midpiece and tail.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determination of human sperm count and sperm motility using a laser beam and the Doppler effect (LAZYMOT machine).

For 25 consecutive human semen samples, a comparison was made of sperm count and sperm motility values obtained by routine manual methods and by using a machine that measures these functions by analysing the deflection of an impinging laser beam (Lazymot machine). Sperm counts in undiluted semen were approximately 5 times higher with the laser machine. As sperm counts increased to about 300 million/ml the counts obtained by the two methods converged as the chance of the beam hitting a spermatozoon and not another type of particle increased. In semen diluted 1 + 4 with Baker's solution, the uncorrected laser count agreed well with the sperm count obtained using a haemocytometer. Multiplication of the laser count by 5 did not reach the same count as that measured in the undiluted sample, showing that the dilution had dissolved some of the smaller particles. It was recommended to measure laser percentage motility in undiluted semen but the values obtained bore no relationship to those obtained using a haemocytometer and neither did the values obtained for laser percentage sperm with progressive motility. The mean laser velocity of the total motility was 23-64 micron/sec and for the progressive particles was 48-84 micron/sec, values which were much faster that the acceptably normal values of 8-30 micron/sec found for selected progressively motile spermatozoa timed with a stopwatch. The laser machine detected an increase in counts and the presence of residual motility after cytoplasm had been stripped away from the spermatozoa with a saponin reagent. The laser machine was unable to detect any increase in speed on increasing the temperature to 37 degrees C. It was concluded that the Lazymot machine as presently designed is not useful in the andrological laboratory for routine counting and motility determinations, mainly due to the absence of a size discriminator against the multitude of small particles that are present in human semen.

Humans↗
PubMed1986

Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa: correlations of ultrastructural sperm head configuration with sperm motility and ability to penetrate zona-free hamster ova.

Freezing and storage of human male gametes is associated with a reduction in the overall semen quality and establishment of pregnancy. This study was done to evaluate the integrity of sperm head ultrastructure (SHU) with computerized and vapor freezing. Comparisons were made between the effect of cryopreservatives glycerol (G) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on SHU. Twelve ejaculates from five proven fertile donors were studied with the use of routine semen analysis, zona-free hamster ova, and SHU. Both cooling processes, regardless of the preservative used, significantly reduced sperm function and the number of SH with intact plasma membranes. The staged cooling technique was substantially superior to vapor freezing in all parameters analyzed (P less than 0.01). G was less detrimental to the postthaw SHU than 1 M DMSO. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.98; P less than 0.01) was noted between the total number of intact SH and motile sperm. Computerized freezing in a G-diluted semen rendered a sperm environment that allowed the highest number of forms with intact SH membranes and with the best chances to penetrate zona-free hamster ova.

Animals↗