title: Fatty acid composition, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant activity of avian semen.
abstract: This work demonstrates that spermatozoa from five avian species (chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, duck and goose) are all characterised by high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids, from 46 (turkey) to 55% (duck) of total. For each of the species, the most abundant fatty acids were arachidonic (20:4n-6) and docosatetraenoic (22:4n-6) acids, representing between 22 (turkey) and 40% (chicken) of total. Significant activities of the major isozymes of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, which protect against the peroxidation associated with high degree of fatty acid unsaturation, were found in spermatozoa from all species. The seminal plasma also had these activities and showed additional mechanisms for protecting spermatozoa from peroxidation. In general terms, these lipid and enzyme proteins were similar between the five avian species and different from those reported for mammalian sperm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Poultry Research Institute, Kharkov Region, Ukraine. p.surai@au.sac.ac.uk
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Surai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blesbois
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grasseau
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chalah
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brillard
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wishart
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cerolini
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Sparks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D001717:Birds / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D004372:Ducks; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism; D005777:Geese; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals; D012661:Semen / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism*; D014422:Turkeys
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase