Sperm functional attributes and oviduct explant binding capacity differs between bulls with different fertility ratings in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
Kaustubh Kishor Saraf A * , Raushan Kumar Singh A * , Arumugam Kumaresan A D , Samiksha Nayak A , Shivani Chhillar A , Sreela Lathika A , Tirtha Kumar Datta B and Tushar Kumar Mohanty C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Theriogenology Lab, Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India.
B Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India.
C Artificial Breeding Research Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001, Haryana, India.
D Corresponding author. Emails: ogkumaresan@gmail.com; a.kumaresan@icar.gov.in
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 31(2) 395-403 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD17452
Submitted: 26 October 2017 Accepted: 19 July 2018 Published: 23 August 2018
Abstract
We report here the differences in sperm functional attributes and sperm–oviduct binding index in bulls with different field fertility ratings. Cryopreserved spermatozoa from Murrah buffalo bulls (n = 9) with different fertility ratings were evaluated for membrane integrity, capacitation status, acrosome intactness and protein tyrosine phosphorylation status. Frozen–thawed spermatozoa were incubated with oviduct explants for 1 h under 5% CO2, 38.5°C with 95% relative humidity and the number of spermatozoa bound to the unit area of oviduct explants (binding index; BI) was assessed using 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) fluorescent staining. The proportion of membrane-intact and acrosome-intact spermatozoa was significantly (P < 0.05) higher and the proportion of capacitated spermatozoa was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in high-fertile bulls compared with medium- and low-fertile bulls. The relationship between BI and bull fertility was significant and positive (r = 0.69; P = 0.04). BI was negatively and significantly (r = −0.83; P = 0.01) related to membrane-compromised spermatozoa. It was concluded that the sperm–oviduct explant binding index was positively related to (1) the proportion of membrane-intact spermatozoa in a given semen sample and (2) in vivo fertility of the buffalo bull, indicating the possibility of developing a fertility prediction tool using a sperm–oviduct explant binding model, once validated on a greater number of bulls.
Additional keywords: bull fertility, sperm function, sperm–oviduct binding index.
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