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In vitro capacitation of bull spermatozoa by oviductal fluid and its components

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

Ann-Sofi Bergqvist ,
Joan Ballester ,
Anders Johannisson ,
Marta Hernandez ,
Nils Lundeheim  and
Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
Ann-Sofi Bergqvist*
Affiliation:
Division of Comparative Reproduction, Obstetrics and Udder Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
Joan Ballester
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
Anders Johannisson
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
Marta Hernandez
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Spain.
Nils Lundeheim
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
Affiliation:
Division of Comparative Reproduction, Obstetrics and Udder Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
*
All correspondence to: Ann-Sofi Bergqvist, DVM, Division of Comparative Reproduction, Obstetrics and Udder Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), PO Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Tel: +46 18 672174. Fax: +46 18 674535. e-mail: ann-sofi.bergqvist@kv.slu.se
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Summary

Sperm capacitation is crucial for fertilization. However, debate continues on exactly how, where and when capacitation is elicited in the bovine female genital tract. In this study we used merocyanine-540 and the chlortetracycline (CTC) assay to test how capacitation of bull spermatozoa is affected in vitro by exposure to oviductal fluid (ODF) collected in vivo, various glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or bicarbonate. Following different durations of exposure, spermatozoa were stained with CTC or merocyanine-540, and evaluated with epifluorescent light microscopy or flow cytometry, respectively. Incubation time did not significantly affect capacitation. Exposure (30–120 min) to ODF capacitated (p < 0.05) bull spermatozoa as measured by either merocyanine-540 or CTC. Hyaluronan was the only GAG that induced a significant increase in B-pattern spermatozoa (capacitated; p = 0.012) compared with controls. Dermatan sulphate also induced capacitation (merocyanine-540 high fluorescence; p = 0.035). Exposure to bicarbonate-enriched media also yielded an increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence (p < 0.0001). When bicarbonate was added to the other treatments (ODF or GAGs) an equal increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence was noted (p < 0.0001), compared with before addition of bicarbonate and independent of the treatment before exposure. There was no significant difference in the number of B-pattern spermatozoa when bicarbonate was added, but an significant increase in spermatozoa with an acrosome-reacted (AR)-pattern (p < 0.0001) was observed. Exposure of spermatozoa to solubilized zonae pellucidae significantly increased the AR-pattern spermatozoa (p = 0.016). In conclusion, ODF was more potent in inducing capacitation of bull spermatozoa than the individual GAGs. Our results also indicate that bicarbonate is an effector of bull sperm capacitation.

Keywords

BicarbonateGAGsOviductal fluidSperm capacitation
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , August 2006 , pp. 259 - 273
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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