
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schembri, M. A. 
A1  - Major, D. A. 
A1  - Maxwell, W. M. C. 
A1  - Suttie, J. J. 
A1  - Evans, G. 
T1  - Capacitation-like changes in equine spermatoza throughout the cryopreservation process
JF  - Reproduction, Fertility and Development
JO  - Reprod. Fertil. Dev.
Y1  - 2002
VL  - 14
IS  - 4
SP  - 225
EP  - 233
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/RD01113 
N2  - Chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence staining analysis was used to investigate cryopreservation- induced capacitation-like changes in equine spermatozoa. Freshly ejaculated spermatozoa were found to display a high proportion of F pattern cells (uncapacitated; 93.6%) and a lower proportion of B pattern (capacitated; 5.4%) and AR pattern (acrosome-reacted; 1%) cells. Following cryopreservation in modified Kenney's medium, capacitation-like changes were observed. There was a significant increase in the proportion of spermatozoa displaying the B pattern (64.8%; P<0.001) and AR pattern (32.8%; P<0.001), with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of spermatozoa displaying the F staining pattern (2.5%; P<0.001). Further analysis of CTC fluorescence staining patterns showed that there was a major decrease in the proportion of F pattern spermatozoa corresponding to an increase in B pattern spermatozoa following removal of seminal plasma after centrifugation and resuspension in freezing medium. There was a further decline in the proportion of F pattern spermatozoa, corresponding to increases in B and AR pattern spermatozoa, after the freezing and thawing steps. Resuspension of centrifuged spermatozoa in homologous seminal plasma did not induce capacitation-like changes. These data indicate that the process of freezing and thawing stallion semen induces capacitation-like changes in spermatozoa and that most of the change is brought about by removal of seminal plasma, with further changes induced by the actual freezing and thawing step. 
ER  -

