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A potential relationship between the acrosome response characteristics of bovine spermatozoa and their in vitro fertilizing ability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2006

Zuzana Molnarova
Affiliation:
Department of Farm Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Marie Machatkova
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics and Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 32 Brno, Czech Republic.
Ladislav Machal
Affiliation:
Department of Farm Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Jindra Horakova
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics and Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 32 Brno, Czech Republic.
Katerina Hanzalova
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics and Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 32 Brno, Czech Republic.

Abstract

The aim of the work was to study a potential relationship between acrosome response characteristics of bovine spermatozoa and their ability to fertilize oocytes and produce in vitro embryos. Sperm of artificial insemination bulls with a high rate (22.0 ± 4.1%, group A, n = 7) or a low rate (10.3 ± 4.1%, group B, n = 8) of embryos were used. For acrosome assessment, motile spermatozoa from a Percoll gradient were incubated with or without heparin and examined by the fix-vital sperm assay (FVSA). The differences between the heparin-treated (H+) and the non-treated (H) spermatozoa were significant (p < 0.01) in all bulls at all tested intervals. According to the kinetics of the heparin response, the bulls fell into three categories: fast (FR, n = 7), moderate (MR, n = 5) or slow (SR, n = 3) acrosome responses (p < 0.01). Five MR bulls were found in group A in comparison with two MR bulls in group B (57.1 vs 12.5%; p < 0.05). Intensity of the acrosome response (response index) was significantly higher in bull group A compared with bull group B (7.0 vs 4.6, p < 0.01). A positive correlation was recorded between response index and embryo rate (r = 0.668, p < 0.01). In conclusion (a) the kinetics of spermatozoa response to heparin may be important for in vitro fertilization, bulls with a moderate response appearing to be most suitable for embryo production; (b) greater spermatozoa response to heparin was related to more effective embryo production.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Cambridge University Press 2006

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