Penetration of bovine follicular oocytes by frozen-thawed spermatozoa in the presence of caffeine and heparin.
Bovine follicular oocytes matured in culture were inseminated with frozen-thawed spermatozoa which were either preincubated for 5-5.5 h or not preincubated in a medium with caffeine (5 mM) and heparin (10 micrograms/ml). When the oocytes with cumulus and corona cells were inseminated, spermatozoa started to penetrate oocytes 3 h later regardless of whether spermatozoa were preincubated or not. However, a significantly higher proportion of oocytes was penetrated by preincubated than non-preincubated spermatozoa. When the oocytes were freed from cumulus and corona cells, penetration was observed to start 1 h after insemination and there were no differences in penetration rates 1-5 h after insemination between preincubated and non-preincubated spermatozoa. This study demonstrates that capacitation and the acrosome reaction of bovine spermatozoa can be induced within 1 h in a medium containing both caffeine and heparin when denuded oocytes are inseminated.
Division of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Okayama University, Japan.
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Park
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Ohgoda
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Niwa
D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D005615:Freezing; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D014021:Tissue Preservation
D003470:Culture Media; D002110:Caffeine; D006493:Heparin