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Exposure to 17α,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one changes seminal characteristics in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus
Author(s) -
Martins Pinheiro Marcus Frederico,
Guimarães de Souza Silvia Maria,
Gil Barcellos Leonardo José
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2109.2003.00907.x
Subject(s) - nile tilapia , oreochromis , biology , sperm , tilapia , sperm motility , motility , sperm quality , fishery , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , botany , genetics
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the seminal characteristics of Nile tilapia males exposed to water‐borne 17α,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one (17,20βP). Male Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus L.) were exposed to the steroidal pre‐ovulatory pheromone 17,20βP, added to water at a concentration of 5×10 −9 M. The pheromone‐exposed males had higher sperm volume and concentration. In addition, the spermatozoa contained in the sperm had higher motility and the motility duration was longer than ethanol‐exposed males (control group). The percentage of live spermatozoa was not affected by the treatments. Our results suggest that this pheromone can improve sperm quality characteristics and could become a non‐invasive method for enhancing spawning in Nile tilapia.