title: Sperm transport and retention at the fertilization site is orchestrated by a chemical guidance and oviduct movement.
abstract: In mammals, only a few spermatozoa arrive at the fertilization site. During the last step in the journey to the egg, apart from their self-propulsion, spermatozoa may be assisted by oviduct movement and/or a guidance mechanism. The proportion of rabbit spermatozoa that arrive at the fertilization site was determined under in vivo conditions, in which either the ovulation products (secreting chemoattractants) and/or the oviduct movement (causing the displacement of the oviductal fluid) was inhibited. When only one of these components was inhibited, sperm transport to the fertilization site was partially reduced. However, when both the ovulation products and the oviduct movement were inhibited, almost no spermatozoa arrived at the fertilization site. The results suggest that spermatozoa are transported to and retained at the fertilization site by the combined action of a chemical guidance and the oviduct movement. A working model is proposed to explain how these two mechanisms may operate to transport spermatozoa to the fertilization site, probably as an evolutionary adaptation to maximize the chance of fertilizing an egg.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avenida Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Guidobaldi
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Teves
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Uñates
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Giojalas
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D010057:Oviducts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011817:Rabbits; D012312:Ritodrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D012312:Ritodrine