title: Method of euthanasia does not affect sperm motility in the laboratory rat.
abstract: To determine if anesthetic agents used in laboratory animal euthanasia affected sperm motion parameters, rats (n = 10 per group) were euthanized by one of 5 different methods: decapitation alone, or decapitation following either ether, halothane, or Nembutal anesthesia, or CO2 asphyxiation. Sperm were collected from the distal cauda epididymis, diluted, and videotaped for computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA; HTM-2030, Hamilton-Thorn Research, Beverly, MA). The percentage of motile sperm (MOT), their straight-line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), curvilinear velocity (VCL), linear index (LINX), and linearity (LIN) were measured on > or = 200 motile sperm per sample. No significant differences in any of these 6 motion parameters were found among the treatment groups. Thus, none of these 5 methods of euthanasia affect sperm motion as assessed by CASA methods, making them equally suitable for use in reproductive toxicology studies.
authors.affiliation: ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Slott
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dyer
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D005065:Euthanasia; D006221:Halothane; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D010424:Pentobarbital; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010424:Pentobarbital; D006221:Halothane