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BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print April 7, 2004.
Biol Reprod 2004, 10.1095/biolreprod.103.025577
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Submitted November 15, 2003
Returned for revision December 12, 2003
Accepted March 25, 2004

Gamete Biology


Effect of Adding Cholesterol to Bull Sperm Membranes on Sperm Capacitation, the Acrosome Reaction, and Fertility

Phillip H Purdy and James K Graham *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jkgraham{at}colostate.edu.

Abstract
When cholesterol is added to sperm membranes prior to cryopreservation, higher percentages of motile and viable cells are recovered. However, since one of the first steps in sperm capacitation is cholesterol efflux from the sperm plasma membrane, adding to enhance cryosurvival cholesterol may retard sperm capacitation. These studies evaluated the ability of sperm treated with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins (CLC) to capacitate, acrosome react and fertilize oocytes. Control (non-CLC treated) and CLC-treated sperm were treated with heparin, diluaroylphosphatidylcholine (PC12) or calcium ionophore A23187 (A23187) to capacitate and induce the acrosome reaction. Sperm capacitation, assessed by an increase in intracellular calcium level, and acrosome reacted sperm were measured using flow cytometry. Fresh CLC-treated sperm cell underwent capacitation and/or the acrosome reaction at rates different from control samples, and the differences detected were dependent upon the method used to induce sperm capacitation and the acrosome reaction. After cryopreservation, however, CLC-treated and control sperm underwent capacitation and the acrosome reaction at similar rates, regardless of the method used to induce capacitation and the acrosome reaction. The primary concern for CLC-treated sperm, however, is whether this treatment would affect in vitro or in vivo fertility. Adding either control or CLC-treated cryopreserved sperm to bovine oocytes in vitro resulted in similar oocyte cleavage rates and blastocyst formation rates. In addition, when inseminated into heifers, pregnancy rates for control and CLC treated sperm were also similar. Therefore, treating bull sperm with CLC permits greater numbers of sperm to survive cryopreservation while preserving the fertilizing potential of each individual sperm.

Key words: Gamete Biology • Acrosome reaction • Sperm capacitation


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G Li, J Saenz, R A Godke, and R V Devireddy
Effect of glycerol and cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin on freezing-induced water loss in bovine spermatozoa.
Reproduction, May 1, 2006; 131(5): 875 - 886.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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