Biology of Reproduction, Vol 25, 931-937, Copyright © 1981 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Movement of Bull Spermatozoa in Cervical Mucus

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616
² Department of Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616

The movement characteristics of bull spermatozoa in fresh estrous bovine cervical mucus were studied using high-speed cinemicrography. Preparations consisted of capillary tubes of rectangular cross section (400 µm deep), exposed to semen at one end. Spermatozoa were studied while swimming in the interior midplane of the tube, and also in a plane just below the upper surface of the tube. In both these planes, the initial or "vanguard" spermatozoa that arrived at a station 2 cm from the semen-mucus interface were studied in comparison with the subsequent or "following" spermatozoa that arrived 10 min later. It was found that the vanguard spermatozoa swam more rapidly than their followers, although the flagellar beat frequencies and shapes of these two groups were not significantly different. This difference in propulsive efficiency appears to due an alteration in local mucus properties resulting from sustained permeation by spermatozoa. Spermatozoa swam more rapidly near the tube wall than in the midplane. Flagellar beat frequencies were lower near the wall, and beat shapes were also qualitatively different. This latter distinction appears to result from altered mucus properties near the wall as well as the direct hydrodynamic effect of the wall itself.

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