黑玛丽精子包特性及pH和温度对其精子活力的影响

通过研究黑玛丽Poecilia latipinna精子包破裂的过程和影响因素、精子运动的情况及影响因素,结果发现,当精液用Hank’s平衡盐溶液(HBSS)稀释约5 min后精子包开始破裂,约12 min后全部破裂。释放出的精子暂时处于休眠状态,约50 min后,处于HBSS稀释液中的精子会被激活。应用计算机辅助精子分析系统对黑玛丽精子在不同pH和不同温度下HBSS中的精子运动百分数、运动时间和平均运动速率进行观察。在pH7~8的中性或弱碱性溶液中,精子运动活力较强;而在酸性(pH<7)或碱性较强(pH>9)的溶液中,精子的运动活力都会降低。在不同温度下的HBSS中精子的活力不同,精子在低温(4℃)条件下的运动时间显著长于在室温(20℃)条件下,但运动速度较慢。本研究初步探讨了黑玛丽的精子包特性以及pH和温度对精子运动活力的影响,旨在对黑玛丽等卵胎生鱼类的人工授精,以及生殖生物学特性等的研究提供更丰富的基础资料。     

环境因子变化对平鲷精子活力的影响

进行梯度试验,观察环境条件变化对平鲷精子活力的影响。结果表明,平鲷精子在盐度２５左右,ｐＨ８．２及２０℃时的活力最强,低温保藏２４ｈ后,精子失去涡动能力,注射ＨＣＧ,对成熟雄鱼精子活力没有明显的影响。     

鱼类微孢子虫的研究进展

微孢子虫(Microspora)是一类古老的细胞内专性寄生微生物,寄主范围涉及从原生动物到哺乳动物(包括人)的广泛宿主,是许多具有经济价值的昆虫、甲壳类、鱼类、啮齿类、灵长类等动物的病原体。自1857年Nageli首次发现家蚕微粒子病病原生物Nosema bombycis后,人们对其进行了大量研究,特别是近年来,免疫缺陷患者体内微孢子虫的发现,更加引起了生物学界和医学界的广泛关注。其主要生物学特征概括如下:营细胞内专性寄生;具单细胞孢子,孢子内含1-2个核,或简或繁的挤出器,不含线粒体,原始的高尔基n体,似原核生物的核糖体。     

宽体沙鳅精子超微结构及Na~+、K~+、Ca~(2+)对其精子活力的影响

选取健康的性成熟雄性宽体沙鳅,运用JSM 6510LV型扫描电镜、H-7500型透射电镜及Motic-BA210数码显微镜分别观察了宽体沙鳅精子的超微结构及不同浓度Na~+、K~+、Ca~(2+)对其精子活力的影响。结果显示,宽体沙鳅精子头部圆球形,无顶体,细胞核后端有一植入窝凹陷,凹陷深度为细胞核长径的1/6。中片由中心粒复合体和袖套组成。中心粒复合体分为近端中心粒和基体,两者呈"L"型排列;袖套呈两侧不对称分布,一侧狭长,另一侧肥厚。尾部主要由轴丝组成,为典型的"9+2"型双联微管结构,微管动力蛋白臂明显。以Na Cl、KCl和Ca Cl_2浓度分别为75 mmol·L~(-1)、0.5 mmol·L~(-1)和5 mmol·L~(-1)作为宽体沙鳅精子的激活介质,效果最佳。建议实际生产中选取合适的激活介质进行人工授精。     

阴道乳酸杆菌影响精子活力可介导女性不孕

不孕症的发病机制多样,其中微生物因素占据很大比例。以往,人们关注重点主要集中在由病原体感染导致的不孕不育,对阴道正常宿主菌是否参与不孕症关注甚少。最新研究表明,以卷曲乳酸杆菌为代表的乳酸杆菌作为阴道内的优势菌群,不仅具有维持女性生殖道微生态平衡、免疫防御等功能,还可通过物理作用影响精子泳动能力,进而对弱精、少精人群受孕结局产生不良作用。本文拟通过探讨阴道菌群组成和其对女性阴道健康的积极作用及对受孕产生的消极作用,从正、反两面丰富和完善阴道益生菌对生殖健康的影响。     

精子尾部发育相关蛋白研究进展

精子尾部结构与其运动功能密切相关.精子的运动能力直接决定了精子能否正常运输到输卵管与卵子受精.精子尾部的形成和发育是一个极其复杂的过程,由多种蛋白质精细调控.研究发现,多种精子尾部发育相关蛋白的缺陷可导致少、弱、畸形精子症.本文根据精子尾部的超微结构顺序,对近年来精子尾部发育相关蛋白的研究进展进行综述,以期为男性不育症...     

环境因子及超低温冻存对黄姑鱼精子活力的影响

通过测定精子的激活率、运动时间及寿命研究了环境因子变化对黄姑鱼精子活力的影响及超低温冻存后黄姑鱼精子的活力。结果表明,黄姑鱼精子激活与运动的适宜盐度为25～35、适宜pH为7.5～8.5。在pH 8.0～8.5、盐度25条件下,精子激活率达(85.33±2.52)%,运动时间及寿命分别为(336±14.02)s及(405.33±12.22)s。精子激活与运动的适宜NaCl、KCl、MgCl₂及葡萄糖溶液浓度分别为300～500 mmol·L^-1、600 mmol·L^-1、800～1000 mmol·L^-1及900mmol·L^-1;精子在缺少HCO₃^-的人工海水中未能被激活;精子在无Ca²⁺或无Mg²⁺的人工海水中激活率均大于80%,但运动时间及寿命均有所缩短。以Cortland及HBSS溶液为稀释液、10%EG为抗冻剂冻存黄姑鱼精子,冻精激活率>80%,运动时间均超过200s。     

氯化钠浓度对宽口光唇鱼精子活力的影响

本文观察了不同氯化钠浓度对宽口光唇鱼Ａｃｒｏｓｏｃｈｉｌｕｓｍｏｎｔｉｃｏｌａ精子活力的影响,并进一步建立数学模型进行分析论证,得出结论：在氯化钠浓度０—０５１％的范围内,精子快速运动时间和寿命相对延长,但在浓度超过０５１％,精子活动开始受到抑制,活动强度减弱,寿命缩短。     

Postspawning Destruction of Male Gametes in Polycyclic and Monocyclic Bony Fishes: Pointhead Flounder, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cleisthenes herzensteini</Emphasis> Schmidt (Pleuronectidae) and Chum Salmon, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus keta</Emphasis> Walbaum (Salmonidae)

The process of the destruction of nonreleased spermatozoa was studied using TEM in the postspawning gonads of the chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and the pointhead flounder Cleisthenes herzensteini, as representatives of monocyclic and polycyclic fishes respectively. It was shown that in both species residual sperm cells are destroyed through fragmentation of chromatin and the entire cell. It is supposed that the process of destruction in this case is connected with autolytic disintegration known in some multicellular animals, but never described for Teleostei.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Neznanova, Ivankov, Reunov.     

Kinematics of hamster sperm during penetration of the cumulus cell matrix

During capacitation, mammalian spermatozoa gain the ability to penetrate the cumulus cell matrix (CCM). The role of hyperactivated motility for this capacity is uncertain. In the present study, hamster sperm were observed during penetration and progression through the CCM, and flagellar beat patterns were quantitated by characterization of the underlying flagellar bends. Small numbers of sperm were added to cumulus masses slightly compressed on a slide (150 μm depth), and penetration was videorecorded using interference contrast optics. During penetration of the cumulus surface, sperm did not generate the large flagellar bends and asymmetric beats that are hallmarks of hyperactivation in low viscosity media. Instead, they entered slowly using high-frequency, low-amplitude sinusoidal flagellar motions. Within the CCM, sperm continued to move slowly, and they exhibited three distinct patterns of motility. The first was sinusoidal, produced by alternating, propagated bends: principal bends (PB) moved the head away from the beat midline, with the convex edge of the head leading, and reverse bends (RB) had the opposite curvature. The second pattern was asymmetric and sinusoidal: an extreme RB developed in the distal flagellum, was propagated distally, and was followed by a PB of less curvature. The third motility pattern was a hatchet-like stroke of the sperm head which resulted when an extreme, nonpropagated PB developed slowly in the proximal midpiece, and was released rapidly. In this mode there were no reverse bends, and sperm did not progress. There were subpopulations of capacitating sperm in free-swimming medium which had these same bend types and motility patterns, suggesting that qualitative flagellar movement may not change during CCM penetration. Sperm velocity in the CCM was not strongly correlated with flagellar beat kinematics, suggesting local heterogeneity in cumulus mechanical resistance and/or differences in interaction of the matrix with the surfaces of individual sperm. An effective viscosity of the cumulus near its border was estimated to be of the order of 1–4 P.     

The effects of carnitine,glycerylphosphorylcholine, caffeine,and egg yolk on the motility of rat epididymal spermatozoa

Experiments were performed to further the understanding of epididymal processes involved in the acquisition of sperm motility. Samples of luminal contents were collected by micropuncture from four regions of the rat epididymis. These samples were incubated in various diluents to observe the effects of the diluents on sperm motility. Consonant with previous reports, 40 mM glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC) and 60 mM DL-carnitine reduced overall motility scores of cauda epididymidal spermatozoa but did not prevent normal initiation of motility. Additionally, control sperm cells and cells treated with carnitine could reinitiate full motility after becoming immotile. Spermatozoa treated with GPC could not reinitiate motility. The sperm cells in our system thus react to GPC and carnitine in fundamentally different ways, the exact nature of which remains to be determined. Spermatozoa from the distal caput epididymidis evidenced high motility scores when diluted in a 5% egg yolk + 10 mM caffeine diluent. It was demonstrated, however, that the subjective appearance of full motility in these immature cells was not supported by actual progressive motility as measured in an assay of linear distance traveled. It was concluded that neither 10 mM caffeine, 5% egg yolk, nor their combination was sufficient to induce progressive motility in immature rat spermatozoa.     

Characterization of a spectrophotometric technique for the estimation of fowl and turkey sperm motility

An objective method of estimating the motility of fowl and turkey spermatozoa, depending on their rheotactic and light-scattering properties, has been developed. From a 1- to 2-minute recorder trace of the optical density of diluted semen before and after stopping its passage through a flow cuvette, three independent constants may be simply and graphically determined. These are: OD_m, the maximum optical density of semen flowing through the cuvette, shown to be dependent on the concentration of spermatozoa; % (ΔOD)_m, the maximal change of optical density following cessation of flow, which has been correlated with the percentage of motile spermatozoa in the sample; and t½, the time taken for the change of optical density to reach % (ΔOD)_m. This latter parameter has been correlated with forward motility of both fowl and turkey spermatozoa.     

Motility of bovine spermatozoa studied by laser light scattering

Laser light scattering has been employed to determine the swimming speed distribution and the fraction of motile cells in samples of bovine spermatozoa. As predicted from theory, average trajectory velocities determined by laser light scattering were approximately four times the average translational speed estimated using light microscopy. The proportion of motile spermatozoa decreased with time at the same rate when samples were prepared in either HEPES or phosphate buffers. However, whereas the mean swimming velocity declined slowly in HEPES buffer, it dropped rapidly when phosphate buffer was used. Dilution (in the range 40–0.4×10⁶ spermatozoa·ml^-1) in either of these two buffers reduced the fraction of motile spermatozoa in the sample, but the mean swimming velocity of the remaining active spermatozoa was unchanged. Lowering the temperature from 37° C to 15° C reduced the mean swimming speed by a factor of 2–3 and the fraction of motile cells by a factor of 4–5.     

Characterization of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) sperm motility: duration of movement, effects of cations, pH and gossypol

We have examined effects of time after activation, pH, sodium and potassium, and gossypol concentrations on sperm motility of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). Zebra mussel spermatozoa appeared to have remarkable viability in the fresh water in comparison with freshwater fish sperm. Duration of sperm motility in fresh water is possibly one of the longest among freshwater animals, since it was not significantly changed 3 h after incubation at room temperature (20 °C) or 24 h of incubation at ±0 °C. High osmotic pressure suppresses sperm motility and effects of sodium and potassium are similar. Spermatozoa were inactive at acid pH and became gradually motile when exposed to pH 6.0–9.0. Gossypol appeared to be a very potent spermicidal agent and inhibited motility. This compound also inhibited fertilization. We observed some differences in gossypol effects on spermatozoa between North American and European zebra mussels. These data on zebra mussel sperm biology may be useful for better handling of gametes under laboratory conditions.     

Regional specialization of the sperm membrane in the tick Amblyomma hebraeum koch (Acari: Ixodidae)

Summary The spermatozoon of Amblyomma hebraeum is about 200 m long and comprises: (1) a thick, club-shaped anterior part, about 20 m long bearing at its apex a tactile hemisphere, and (2) an elongated tail-like part, about 180 m long. The surface of the tactile hemisphere is covered by numerous bulbous expansions, attached to it by short stalks. The base of the hemisphere is surrounded by a fringe of thin motile processes; the remaining surface of the spermatozoon is covered with long cellular processes which run more or less parallel to one another.The membrane-associated particles found on the membrane beneath the cellular processes are regularly arranged as groups of parallel strands. The external surface of the so-called peripheral granules, as revealed by freeze-etching, is smooth with a very small number of particles. Internally the particles exhibit a regular hexagonal pattern which has not been observed, so far, on any other membrane of these sperm cells.The regional specialization of the spermatozoon surface membrane in relation to sperm motility is discussed. The results obtained indicate that processes of three types: (1) bulbous expansions, (2) motile processes, and (3) cellular processes are regional specializations, all engaged in aspects of sperm motility.The technical assistance of Mr. R. Haemmerle of Balzers Research Laboratories, Mrs. F. Seif and Miss C. Pugin, is gratefully acknowledged