Effect of chloroquine on the motility and acetylcholinesterase activity of porcine spermatozoa during epididymal maturation.
The development of motility in porcine spermatozoa as well as the acetylcholinesterase activity of porcine testicular and epididymal spermatozoa in response to chloroquine stimulation were studied. Spermatozoa acquired the capacity for progressive motility as they moved along the epididymis, reaching their peak motility in the caudal portion of the epididymis. Spermatozoal acetylcholinesterase activity declined drastically from the testis to the caput epididymis after which subsequent decline became gradual. Chloroquine stimulation of testicular and epididymal spermatozoa remarkably enhanced sperm motility and the rate of loss of acetylcholinesterase activity only in spermatozoa obtained from the caudal portions of the epididymis. The results indicate that the development of sperm motility during sperm maturation is accompanied by a decline in sperm acetylcholinesterase activity and that the physiological maturity of epididymal sperm could be enhanced by chloroquine stimulation.
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D013079:Sperm Maturation; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000201:enzymology*; D013552:Swine
D002738:Chloroquine; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase