title: In vitro evaluation of fresh sperm quality in tomcats: a comparison of two collection techniques.
abstract: The collection of semen from tomcats by urethral catheterization (CT) after medetomidine administration offers a novel and easy approach to obtain good quality sperm for in vitro fertilization. This study was designed to compare the sperm quality parameters and in vitro fertilizing capacity of CT spermatozoa with those of spermatozoa retrieved after epididymal slicing (EP). Semen was collected in seventeen adult cats by urethral catheterization, after which the cat was orchiectomized. Motility, morphology, plasma membrane integrity, acrosomal status, and in vitro fertilizing capacity of both fresh CT and EP samples were evaluated. The results showed that both total and progressive motility, as well as the percentage of normal spermatozoa, were higher for EP sperm than for CT sperm (P<0.01). Epididymal sperm had a lower percentage of spermatozoa with an intact acrosome (P<0.01), while CT sperm contained more spermatozoa with tail abnormalities (P<0.01). Other morphological parameters, as well as plasma membrane integrity, did not differ (P>0.05) between CT and EP sperm. Nevertheless, no difference (P>0.05) in in vitro fertilizing capacity between spermatozoa collected by means of the two different methods was found. In conclusion, semen collection by means of urethral catheterization after medetomidine administration yields fertilization results similar to epididymal slicing, despite the fact that several sperm variables were different. Since this novel catheterization technique is repeatable, is easy to perform and facilitates semen preparation protocols, it may be preferable for routine IVF experiments with fresh spermatozoa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. muriel.filliers@ugent.be
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filliers
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rijsselaere
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bossaert
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zambelli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anastasi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoogewijs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Soom
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000662:veterinary*; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008297:Male; D020926:Medetomidine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000662:veterinary; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D020926:Medetomidine