A study of the effect of sorbitol on osmotic tolerance during partial desiccation of bovine sperm.
The goal of the study was to improve the partial desiccation survival of bovine sperm by decreasing the dehydration induced osmotic injury. The protective role of sorbitol, a polyol, was investigated by (i) studying the osmotic behavior of sperm in hypertonic Tyrode's buffer in the presence of sorbitol and trehalose, (ii) studying the effect of sorbitol and trehalose on sperm motility following partial dehydration. The osmotic behavior studies included the assessment of motility and volumetric responses in the presence of the additives. For the drying experiments, motility was assayed after drying the samples to different end water content followed by immediate rehydration. Compared to the effect of "intracellular+extracellular" trehalose alone, results showed a much improved motility in the presence of sorbitol and trehalose. While the drying results suggest an enhanced osmotolerance in the presence of sorbitol, the study of motility under hypertonic conditions combined with the sperm volume excursion experiments suggest that sorbitol imparts the enhancement by permeating into the cell cytoplasm.
Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology Program, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, N. Dartmouth, MA, USA.
Ranjan
R
Sitaula
Alex
A
Fowler
Mehmet
M
Toner
Sankha
S
Bhowmick
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009995:Osmosis; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014199:Trehalose / Q000494:pharmacology
D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D013012:Sorbitol; D014199:Trehalose