The objective of this study was to determine the activity of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) and the content of calcium ions (Ca2+) of boar seminal plasma in relation to season and animal age. Wide fluctuations in PAF-AH activity and Ca2+ content of plasma were observed. PAF-AH activity ranged from 334.2 to 524.3 nmol PAF hydrolyzed/min/mg protein, whereas the Ca2+ content from 2.4 to 3.4 mg/100 ml. In some cases PAF-AH activity was positively correlated with Ca2+ content.Both the PAF-AH activity and Ca2+ content of plasma depended on the season and age of the boars.The age-related and seasonal changes observed in PAF-AH activity suggest that the enzyme may play a role in boar reproductive functions.
An attempt was made to use a modified 2-D PAGE technique to analyze seminal plasma proteins and their polymorphisms in relation to boar age and season. The 2-D PAGE analysis of seminal plasma proteins was performed using a buffer pH gradient of 3 to 10. Modifications to the 2-D PAGE procedure included substituting mercaptoethanol (ME) with dithiothreitol (DTT) and the use of a specific reagent assay (Plus One 2-D Clean-Up Kit, Amersham Biosciences), which markedly improved the resolution of the electrophoregrams. Polymorphisms by polypeptide mapping of boar seminal plasma were dependent on the animal age and season. Furthermore, the amount of polypeptides detected in the seminal plasma was significantly lower in 12 month-old boars compared with 3 year-olds. Additionally, the seminal plasma polypeptides were markedly lower in the summer than in the autumn. The results of the study showed that mapping seminal plasma proteins may be used as a marker for the secretor activity of boar accessory sex glands, and as a selection criterion for male reproduction.
Semen quality assessment methods are very important in predicting the fertilizing ability of persevered spermatozoa and to improve animal reproductive technology. This review discusses some of the current laboratory methods used for semen quality assessments, with references to their relevance in the evaluation of male fertility and semen preservation technologies. Semen quality assessment methods include sperm motility evaluations, analyzed with the computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) system, and plasma membrane integrity evaluations using fluorescent stains, such as Hoechst 33258 (H33258), SYBR-14, propidium iodide (PI), ethidium homodimer (EthD) and 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA), and biochemical tests, such as the measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) level. This review addresses the significance of specific fluorochromes and ATP measurements for the evaluation of the sperm mitochondrial status. Laboratory methods used for the evaluation of chromatin status, DNA integrity, and apoptotic changes in spermatozoa have been discussed. Special emphasis has been focused on the application of proteomic techniques, such as two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), for the identification of the properties and functions of seminal plasma proteins in order to define their role in the fertilization-related processes.
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