Authors : E.C.L. Morales, M.A. Aragon, S.N. Pescador and G.F. Salazar
Abstract: Different procedures to obtain sperm of quality are routinely used. However, the collected sperm may carry alterations not detected by standard semen parameters. In this study, researchers used flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy to analyze the effects of the Swim-Up (SU) procedure on selected parameters of boar sperm quality i.e., viability, mitochondrial function, chromatin abnormalities and active caspases-3 and -7 expression. Increases in percentages of sperm motility (18.3±4.2 vs. 31.9±4.7), sperm with mitochondrial function (16.1±3.6 vs. 25.9±4.1) and sperm with chromatin abnormalities (293.6±9.2 vs. 384.7±2.2, DFI values) were observed after SU. Active caspases were located at specific places on the head and flagellum of the sperm and the percentage of sperm showing expression of this proteases was higher after SU (12.4±3.0 vs. 29.7±3.8). The SU procedure allowed the isolation of motile and metabolically active sperm subpopulations however, these subpopulations carried chromatin alterations and sperm that showed caspases expression. It is possible that the increase in the percentage of sperm with active caspases was related to the use of centrifugation during SU. This study may help to demonstrate the low predictive value of traditional quality parameters such as motility when studying fertility potential even when SU is used.
E.C.L. Morales, M.A. Aragon, S.N. Pescador and G.F. Salazar, 2012. SWIM-Up Procedure in Boar Semen Improves Motility and Viability but Recovered Sperm Could Carry Active Caspases and Chromatin Damage. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 431-437.