[Presence of dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway in boar spermatozoa and testis].
There is insufficient evidence of direct oxidation of glucose through the pentose phosphate cycle in mammalian spermatozoa. We separated the key enzymes (G6P-DH, 6PG-DH) in the pentose pathway using 2',5'ADP-Sepharose 4B. The purpose of this study is to establish the intracellular location of these two enzymes in boar spermatozoa and testis by histochemical techniques. Histochemical localization of the two pentose phosphate pathway dehydrogenases was achieved by the use of the tetrazolium salt nitro blue tetrazolium (Nitro BT). Both G6P-DH and 6PG-DH was present in the mid pieces of boar spermatozoa and in the Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules of testis. The present findings indicate that the pentose pathway could be involved in the energy production of spermatozoa and that these enzymes may be important in supplying NADPH for steroid synthesis in the testis.
D000818:Animals; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis*; D010427:Pentose Phosphate Pathway; D010734:Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000201:enzymology*; D013552:Swine; D013737:Testis / Q000201:enzymology*
D010088:Oxidoreductases; D010734:Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase