• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 1989

In order to study the effects of $Ca^{++}$ and dbcAMP on sperm motility, cauda epididyal spermatozoa of mouse were incubated in the media containing the various concentrations of $Ca^{++}$ and dbcAMP, and Its motility were observed and analyzed. The rate(%) of the sperm with forward motility which may be fertile, reached at the equilibrium state in 30-60 min. after the beginning of incubation. $Ca^{++}$ requirement for the maintenance of sperm motility obviously appeared in 3hrs. after the beginning of incubation. In the medium containing 0.01mM $Ca^{++}$, the rate of sperm forward motility was highest(30.6-40.6%), whereas in 10mM $Ca^{++}$ medium, the rate was rather reduced because of a severe agglutination phenomenon. On the other hand, 1mM dbcAMP in the medium was significantly effective for the maintenance of sperm forward motility.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 2011

The comparison of the chemical properties of semen of black porgy Acanthopagrus schlegelii long-term acclimated reared in freshwater (BFW) and seawater (BSW) with sperm activity of salinity and ion composition. The chemical properties of seminal plasma on BFW of the factors that most there was not significant difference in the BSW. However, osmolality in seminal plasma of BFW and BSW was $307.0{\pm}4.6$ and $337.3{\pm}10.1$ mOsm/kg, respectively, where BFW showed significant lower concentration in contrast to BSW. Salinity effect on sperm motility of BFW and BSW in 0 psu solution, no sperm motility was observed, whereas in 10 psu solution, both BFW and BSW sperms showed low motility and short time post sperm activation. However, diluted in 20 and 32 psu solutions, highest motility and long time post sperm activation were observed in BFW and BSW sperm. SAI of BFW and BSW varied in depend on the osmolality regardless of ion kind and it showed the highest value in the similar osmolality of artificial seawater (956 mOsm/kg). Accordingly, even in sperm released from BFW, factors initiating sperm motility are determined by osmolality.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.239-246
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• 2021

The immunological sperm separation method is economical compared to the existing sorting method, and it is promising for the development of new technologies by reducing sperm damage. Wholemom (WM) is a sex-regulating protein that comprises on immunoglobulin G coupled with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that responds to surface proteins derived from the Y chromosome in cattle. Y sperms are restricted in motility as the WM aggregates them, and the magnet could separate the non-aggregated cells. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of WM treatment on the characteristics of bull sperm. After treating sperm with WM and incubation for 6 h, the motility parameters including total motility, progressive motility, velocity average path, velocity straight line, amplitude of lateral head displacement, and linearity were significantly higher in the WM treatment group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Sperm viability and acrosome reaction rates were similar in both groups during each incubation period (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the immunological sperm sexing procedure using a monoclonal antibody conjugated with MNPs did not affect the characteristics of bull sperm. This study suggests that compared to other techniques, the immunological method for sperm sexing could classify sperm quickly and efficiently without the use of expensive equipment.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2016

The recovery of epididymal sperm in animals is considered as one of the important tools to preserve high value or endangered species. However, there are no appropriate castrating indicators such as months of age in bull, sperm morphology, and motility, particularly in young Korean native bull (Hanwoo). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate sperm number, morphology, and motility of sperm in the epididymis tail of young Hanwoo bulls at 8 and 15 months of age. After castration, epididymal tails were collected and minced with blades to recover sperm. In experiments 1 and 2, sperm number, morphology, and motility were examined. Total number of sperm and percentage of normal sperm from bulls at 8 months of age was lower than that of bulls at 15 months of age after collection (P<0.05). Percentage of abnormal head, tail, proximal cytoplasmic droplet, dead and damaged acrosome of sperm from bulls at 8 months of age were higher than those of bulls at 15 months of age (P<0.05). In experiment 3, sperm motility from bulls at 8 and 15 months of age were examined before freezing and after thawing. Frozen-thawed sperm at 8 months of age showed low total motility and motile sperm with ${\geq}25{\mu}m/sec$ compared to those at 15 months of age and commercially-used sperm (P<0.05). In conclusion, sperm derived from the epididymal tail of bulls at 8 months of age showed high abnormal morphology and poor motility, which are not adequate for AI and IVF. On the other hand, sperm derived from the epididymal tail of bulls at 15 months of age showed high normal morphology and motility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.189-193
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• 2012

This experiment was conducted to study variations of serum testosterone and seminal characteristics of Markhoz male goats. Blood samples were obtained via jugular vein, and semen was collected by using an artificial vagina from 14 fertile male goats (2-3 years of age), at 15-day intervals starting on 15 July and ending on 30 October 2010 (during breeding and non-breeding season). Semen volume, total sperm (volume${\times}$concentration), live sperm (%), abnormal sperm (%) and semen pH were significantly superior during the late summer and early autumn (breeding season). Variation of sperm density, motility and progressive motility was not significant during the sampling period. The results presented show that the lowest and highest levels of lactate dehydrogenase in the seminal plasma were recorded in late October (2.82 U/ml) and in late August (4.81 U/ml), respectively. Moreover, the study indicated that the serum testosterone concentration was higher during late summer and early autumn (p<0.05) than at any other of sampling period. There were negative correlations between volume and sperm density (-0.135, p<0.05), and positive correlations between volume and percentage live sperm (0.224) and percentage progressive motility (0.194, p<0.01). Sperm density was correlated with live sperm (0.200, p<0.05) and progressive motility (0.202, p<0.01). The correlation between live sperm and progressive motility was 0.554 (p<0.01). Furthermore, the results in this study indicated a significant positive correlation between live sperm and LDH (0.450) and a negative correlation between sperm density and LDH concentration (-0.272) (p<0.01). Significant, but positive correlations were found between sperm motility and LDH (0.542) and testosterone concentration (0.522), respectively (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the best obtained semen was collected in late summer (during decreasing photoperiod) and early autumn (September and October). This also coincides with the natural breeding season of Markhoz goats in Iran.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2017

In the field of reproductive medicine, assessment of sperm motility is a key factor for achieving successful artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, or intracellular sperm injection. In this study, the motility of boar sperms was estimated using real-time imaging via confocal microscopy. To confirm this confocal imaging method, flagellar beats and whiplash-like movement angles were compared between fresh and low-temperature-preserved ($17^{\circ}C$ for 24 h) porcine sperms. Low-temperature preservation reduced the number of flagellar beats from $11.0{\pm}2.3beats/s$ (fresh sperm) to $5.7{\pm}1.8beats/s$ and increased the flagellar bending angle from $19.8^{\circ}{\pm}13.8^{\circ}$ (fresh) to $30.6^{\circ}{\pm}15.6^{\circ}$. These data suggest that sperm activity can be assessed using confocal microscopy. The observed motility patterns could be used to develop a sperm evaluation index and automated confocal microscopic sperm motility analysis techniques.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1729-1737
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• 2018

Objective: The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between prohibitin (PHB), capping actin protein of muscle Z-line beta subunit (CAPZB), and tektin-2 (TEKT2) and sperm motility in Murrah buffalo. Methods: We collected the high-motility and low-motility semen samples, testis, ovary, muscle, kidney, liver, brain and pituitary from Murrah buffalo, and analysed the expression of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 in mRNA (message RNA) and protein level. Results: Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) result showed that the expression of PHB was higher and CAPZB, TEKT2 were specifically expressed in testis as compared to the other 6 tissues, and that in testis, the expression of TEKT2 was higher than that of CAPZB and PHB. Immunohistochemistry test revealed that all three genes were located on the convoluted seminiferous tubule and enriched in spermatogenic cells. Both qRT-PCR and Western Blot results showed that the expression levels of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 were significantly lower in the low-motility semen group compared to the high-motility semen group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The expression levels of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 in Murrah buffalo sperm have a high positive correlation with sperm motility. And the three genes may be potential molecular markers for the decline of buffalo sperm motility.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 2004

In the present study, attempts were made to cryopreserve sea urchin, Anthocidaris crassispina sperm in liquid nitrogen, to evaluate the effects of various cryoprotectants and freezing rates on motility, survival rate and fertilization rate of the post-thawing sperm, and the ultrastructural changes of sperm after cryopreservation were observed. The highest values of sperm motility (motility index: 3.3$\pm$0.37) and survival rate (72$\pm$3.5%) were obtained with 15% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and these values were significantly higher than those of sperm preserved with glycerol. Comparisons of motilities and survival rates between treatments of difference freezing rates showed that there was no difference between procedures (a) 5$0^{\circ}C$/min to -8$0^{\circ}C$ (motility index: 3.3$\pm$0.31 ; survival late 70$\pm$2.7%) and (b) 3$0^{\circ}C$/min to -8$0^{\circ}C$ (motility index: 3.1$\pm$0.29; survival rate 69$\pm$3.7%), while the results of (c) 1$0^{\circ}C$/min to -8$0^{\circ}C$ were significantly lower than the others (motility index: 2.2$\pm$0.33 ; survival rate 42$\pm$4.6%). There was no significant difference in fertilization rate between fresh sperm and sperm preserved with 15% DMSO as cryoprotectant and freezing rate (3$0^{\circ}C$/min to -8$0^{\circ}C$). Some ultrastructural changes of sperm, such as the detachment of plasma membrane, the destruction of mitochondria, and the flagellum rolling up head, were observed after cryopreservation. Morphological normality of the sperm in 15% DMSO frozen at the ratio of 5$0^{\circ}C$/min to -8$0^{\circ}C$ was better than the others.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1991

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Ca, BSA, heparin, semen storage and individual bull on motility and acrosome reaction of bovine fresh sperm and sperm stored in lactose-egg yolk solution(LES) at 5$^{\circ}C$ for 4hours, and the results obtained were as follows: 1. When sperm was incubated in SCS containing Ca, BSA, Ca + BSA, heparin, heparin + Ca, heparin + BSA, and heparin + Ca + BSA for 15 minutes, there was significant difference in sperm motility among the treatments, especially BSA showed significantly higher sperm motility than the others. Also there was significant difference in sperm acrosome reaction among the treatments, especially BSA and Ca + BSA showed significantly higher sperm acrosome reaction than the others. 2. Bull KNC 1 showed significantly higher sperm motility than KNC 1, HOL 1 and 2 in both fresh and stored semen, however KNC 1 showed significantly lower sperm acrosome reaction than KNC 1, HOL 1 and 2. Therefore, there was significant difference in sperm motility and acrosome reaction among individual bulls. 3. When KNC 1 and KNC 2 sperm were incubated in SCS and SCS + Ca, SCS + BSA, SCS + Ca + BSA, SCS + heparin, SCS + heparin + Ca, SCS + heparin + BSA, and SCS + heparin + Ca + BSA, there was significant difference in sperm motility among individual bulls, especially BSA in KNC 1 and BSA, Ca and Ca + BSA in KNC 2 showedsignificantly higher motility than the others. However, there was significant difference in sperm acrosome reaction among individual bulls, Ca in KNC 1 and Ca + BSA in KNC 2 showed higher acrosome reaction than the others.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.456-465
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• 2004

$K^+$ efflux through a certain type of $K^+$ channels causes the change of membrane potential and leads to cAMP synthesis in the transmembrane cell signaling for the initiation of sperm motility in the salmonid fishes. The addition of $Ca^{2+}$ conferred motility to the trout sperm that were immobilized by external $K^+$ and other alkaline metals, $Rb^+$ and $Cs^{2+}$, suggesting the participation of external $Ca^{2+}$ in the initiation of sperm motility. L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers such as nifedipine, nimodipine, and FS-2 inhibited the motility, but N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, w-conotoxin MvIIA, did not. On the other hand, the membrane hyperpolarization and cAMP synthesis were suppressed by $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers, nifedipine, and trifluoroperazine. Furthermore, these suppressions were relieved by the addition of $K^+$ ionophore, valinomycin. Inhibitors of calmodulin, such as W-7, trifluoperazine, and calrnidazol-C1, inhibited the sperm motility, membrane hyperpolarization, and cAMP synthesis. The results suggest that $Ca^{2+}$ influx through $Ca^{2+}$ channels that are sensitive to specific $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers and calmodulin participate in the changes of membrane potential, leading to synthesis of cAMP in the cell signaling for the initiation of trout sperm motility.