Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-21T02:19:34.706Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A note on the influence of added relaxin on the fertility of aged boar semen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. J. Peacock ,
R. N. Kirkwood  and
P. A. Thacker
A. J. Peacock
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0, Canada
R. N. Kirkwood
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0, Canada
P. A. Thacker
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0, Canada
Get access

Abstract

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the influence of relaxin on the fertility of gilts inseminated with aged boar semen. For experiment 1, oestrus was induced in 43 Yorkshire × Landrace gilts by injection of 400 i.u. PMSG plus 200 i.u. hCG. At 24 h after oestrus detection, gilts were inseminated with fresh semen (1 to 2 day old; no. = 15), aged semen (5 to 6 days old; no. = 15) or aged semen containing 400 fig/l of relaxin added at the time of semen extension (no. = 13). Pregnancy rates 24 days after insemination were lower in gilts receiving aged semen (P < 0·05), an effect not prevented by added relaxin. There was no effect of either semen age or relaxin on numbers of embryos. In experiment 2, the ejaculates of eight boars were extended with or without the addition of 400 fig/I relaxin and motility monitored for 7 days. Fresh sperm motility decreased from 87-5 (s.e. 2·5)% at collection to 71-2 (s.e. 3·3)% after 7 days. The attenuation of sperm motility was not affected by relaxin.

Keywords

artificial inseminationgiltsrelaxin
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , June 1994 , pp. 419 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dubois, M. P. and Dacheux, J. L. 1978. Relaxin, a male hormone? Immunocytological localization of a related antigen in the boar testis. Cell and Tissue Research 187:187–201.Google ScholarPubMed
Essig, M., Schoenfeld, C., Amelar, R., Dubin, L. and Weiss, G. 1982. Stimuation of human sperm motility by relaxin. Fertility and Sterility 38:339–343.Google Scholar
Galli, A. and Bosisio, M. 1988. Quality of semen stored at +15°C/16°C as related to fertility of artificially inseminated swine. Theriogenology 30:1185–1190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, L. A., Aalbers, J. G., Willems, C. M. T., Rademaker, J. H. M. and Rexroad, C. E. 1982. Use of boar spermatozoa for artificial insemination. III. Fecundity of boar spermatozoa stored in Beltsville liquid and Kiev extenders for three days at 18°C. fournal of Animal Science 54:132–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Juang, H. H., Musah, A. I., Schwabe, C. and Anderson, L. L. 1989. Effect of relaxin and antirelaxin serum on porcine sperm motility. Animal Reproduction Science 20:21–29.Google Scholar
Juang, H. H., Musah, A. I., Schwabe, C. and Anderson, L. L. 1990. Immunoreactive relaxin in boar seminal plasma and its correlation with sperm motility. Animal Reproductive Science 22:47–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohsaka, T., Kobayashi, M., Muraki, T., Sato, T., Sasada, H. and Masaki, J. 1988. Male relaxin: evidence for relaxin immunoreactivity in the reproductive organs of boar. Proceedings of the eleventh congress of animal reproduction and AI 3: paper 375.Google Scholar
Paquignon, M. and Courot, M. 1981. Advances in boar semen preservation technology in France. Pig News and Information 3:397–400.Google Scholar
Pursel, V. G., Johnson, L. A. and Schulman, L. L. 1973. Fertilizing capacity of boar semen stored at 15°C. Journal of Animal Science 37:532–535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sarosi, P., Schoenfeld, C., Berman, J., Basch, R., Randolph, G., Amelar, R., Dubin, L., Steinetz, B. G. and Weiss, G. 1983. Effect of anti-relaxin antiserum on sperm motility in vitro. Endocrinology 112:1860–1861.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sather, A. P., Harbison, D. S. and Seth, P. C. 1991. A note on the influence of storage duration of fresh semen on fertilizing capacity and embryo survival in sows. Animal Production 52:554–557.Google Scholar
Thacker, P. A., Gooneratne, A. D. and Kirkwood, R. N. 1991. The influence of purified relaxin on the reproductive performance of sows following artificial insemination with fresh or frozen semen. Canadian fournal of Animal Science 71:237–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiss, G. 1989. Relaxin in the male. Biology of Reproduction 40:197–200.Google Scholar