title: Fine structure and elemental composition of fresh and frozen dog spermatozoa.
abstract: Dog spermatozoa from fresh ejaculates and after freezing-thawing were air-dried on to grids and subjected to X-ray microanalysis or examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The spermatozoa subjected to freezing-thawing presented major changes in their morphology, which included the loss of acrosomal contents, seen both by the swelling and rarefaction of the acrosome and the loss of electron-dense acrosomal material. In many cells the acrosomal damage, including the equatorial region, was conspicuous, with vesiculization of the acrosomal membranes. The plasmalemma remained, in most cases, apparently intact. X-ray microanalysis of the sperm aliquots showed a significant decrease in the amount of most selected elements after freezing-thawing. The extent to which concentrations of phosphorus and sulfur decreased in the sperm head region suggested that major changes in the chromatin occurred during the freeze-thaw process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Martinez
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ekwall
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linde-Forsberg
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary; D004285:Dogs / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*