title: The Seminal Plasma of the Boar is Rich in Cytokines, with Significant Individual and Intra-Ejaculate Variation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The boar, as human, sequentially ejaculates sperm-rich and sperm-poor fractions. Seminal plasma (SP) spermadhesins (PSP-I/PSP-II) induce a primary endometrial inflammatory response in female sows, similar to that elicited by semen deposition in other species, including human. However, the SP is also known to mitigate such response, making it transient to allow for embryo entry to a cleansed endometrium. Although cytokine involvement has been claimed, the exploration of cytokines in different SP fractions is scarce. This study determines Th1, Th2, Th17 and Th3 cytokine profiles in specific ejaculate SP fractions from boars of proven fertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  SP samples from the sperm-rich fraction (SRF) and the sperm-poor post-SRF fraction (post-SRF) of manually collected ejaculates from eight boars (four ejaculates per boar) were analysed by commercial multiplex bead assay kits (Milliplex MAP, Millipore, USA) for interferon-γ, interferon gamma-induced protein 10, macrophage-derived chemokine, growth-regulated oncogene, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1, interleukins (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, IL-17 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-β3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cytokine concentrations differed between the ejaculate fractions among boars, being highest in the post-SRF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Boar SP is rich in Th1, Th2, Th17 and Th3 cytokines, with lowest concentrations in the sperm-peak-containing fraction, indicating its main immune influence might reside in the larger, protein-rich sperm-poor post-SRF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barranco
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubér
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perez-Patiño
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atikuzzaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Emilio A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Heriberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Martinez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004542:Ejaculation; D005260:Female; D005835:Genitalia / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D012661:Semen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D034421:Sus scrofa; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines
keywords: Ejaculate fractions; immunomodulatory molecules; pig; seminal plasma peptides