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Methyl‐ β ‐Cyclodextrin Improves Sperm Capacitation Status Assessed by Flow Cytometry Analysis and Zona Pellucida‐Binding Ability of Frozen/Thawed Bovine Spermatozoa
Author(s) -
Águila L,
Arias ME,
Vargas T,
Zambrano F,
Felmer R
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.12611
Subject(s) - capacitation , zona pellucida , sperm , andrology , human fertilization , bovine serum albumin , acrosome reaction , biology , intracytoplasmic sperm injection , acrosome , chemistry , in vitro fertilisation , embryo , oocyte , biochemistry , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine
Contents Mammalian sperm undergo a series of biochemical transformations in the female reproductive tract that are collectively known as capacitation. Cyclodextrins added to the sperm culture medium have been described to induce in vitro sperm capacitation, enabling its use in protein‐free media. However, the additive capacitating effect of methyl‐ β ‐cyclodextrin (M β CD ) in the medium containing bovine serum albumin ( BSA ) is unknown in the bovine species. In this study, we evaluated the effects of incubating frozen–thawed bovine spermatozoa in a BSA ‐containing medium supplemented with M β CD on different sperm quality and functional parameters. Sperm viability decreased with the addition of M β CD in a dose‐dependent manner (p < 0.05), and DNA damage could be observed but only with the highest concentration of M β CD . However, pre‐incubation of spermatozoa in M β CD ‐supplemented medium improved the capacitation status as assessed by the increase in plasma membrane fluidity, intracellular calcium concentration, induced acrosome reactivity and zona pellucida ( ZP )‐binding ability (p < 0.05). Thus, we conclude that M β CD supplementation is able to enhance the capacitation status of frozen–thawed bovine spermatozoa cultured in capacitation medium containing BSA and could result in a valid strategy for its application on artificial reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.