title: Motility characteristics and fertilizing capacity of boar spermatozoa stained with Hoechst 33342.
abstract: Flow cytometry sorting of spermatozoa using fluorescence dye Hoechst 33342 is the only effective sex selection methodology validated in numerous laboratories. This study was carried out to determine the effect of Hoechst 33342 on the motility and fertility of stained boar spermatozoa. Experiment 1 evaluated motility parameters (percentage of motile spermatozoa, velocity, angularity and oscillation) of boar spermatozoa stained with Hoechst 33342 by a computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) instrument. Spermatozoa (30 million/ml) were divided into five treatment groups and stained during 1 h at 35 degrees C with 9, 18, 27, 60 and 90 microM of H33342. There were no differences in sperm motility patterns nor percentages of motile spermatozoa incubated in the presence of 9, 18 or 27 microM. Percentage of motile spermatozoa and motility parameters decreased significantly (p < 0.05) at 60 microM of Hoechst 33342. Spermatozoa were immotile at concentration of 90 microM. In experiment 2, pregnancy rates, farrowing rates and litter size from sows (n = 275) artificially inseminated (AI) with either Hoechst 33342 stained (27 microM) or unstained (control) spermatozoa were determined. Sows inseminated with stained spermatozoa had no significant lower pregnancy rate (88.33%) as compared with controls (90.32%). Staining neither affected farrowing rates (85.0 vs 87.7%) nor total number of piglets born (10.56 +/- 0.32 vs 10.47 +/- 0.24, stained and controls, respectively). No phenotypical abnormalities were registered among the newborn piglets. The data suggest that incubating spermatozoa with Hoechst 33342 at levels required for X- and Y-bearing chromosome sperm sorting, does not impair sperm viability or their fertility after AI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Pathology (Animal Reproduction), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. vazquez@um.es
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parrilla
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000662:veterinary; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C017807:bisbenzimide ethoxide trihydrochloride