title: Effects of female bovine plasma collected at different days of the estrous cycle on epididymal spermatozoa motility.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of female bovine plasma collected at different days of the reproductive cycle on epididymal spermatozoa motility and to test hypothesis that the subpopulations pattern of motile spermatozoa is affected by this treatment. Blood plasma samples were collected from five Holstein Friesian cows at different stages of the estrous cycle (days 0, 5, 10, 12 and 18), one pregnant cow and one adult bull and were diluted 1:9 (V/V) with normal saline. Female charcoal-treated plasma, Bull plasma and saline were used as controls. Semen samples were obtained from cauda epididymidis through retrograde flushing and diluted in saline to approximately 60 × 106 sperm/ml. The extended semen was diluted 1:2 (V/V) with tested media and motility was evaluated at 15 min and then every hour for 6 h using a computer-assisted semen analysis. Multivariate clustering procedure was applied to identify and quantify specific subpopulations within the semen samples. The statistical analysis clustered all the motile spermatozoa into three separate subpopulations with defined patterns of movement: Subpopulation 1 poorly motile and non-progressive spermatozoa (39.3%), subpopulation 2 including the fastest and the most vigorous spermatozoa (46.4%) and subpopulation 3 represented by slow, non-vigorous but linear spermatozoa (14.3%). Initially, sperm samples supplemented with female, male or female charcoal-treated plasma stimulated equally total motility and spermatozoa belonging to subpopulation 2 regardless of the estrous cycle stage. After 1-h incubation, the motility of these both categories of spermatozoa (total motile and those assigned to subpopulation 2) is enhanced and maintained more in day 12, 18 and pregnant cow plasma than in female plasma from earlier stage of the estrous cycle (day 0, 5 and 10), male plasma and female-charcoal treated plasma. In conclusion, the overall results showed that female plasma stimulated significantly sperm motility, especially at the late stage of the estrous cycle. Additionally, to the diverse compounds contained in blood plasma, progesterone may play a key role in such motility activation.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algérie; Laboratoire Associé en Ecosystèmes Marins et Aquacoles, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000, Bejaia, Algeria. Electronic address: mohamed.naitmouloud@univ-bejaia.dz.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nait Mouloud
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algérie. Electronic address: fatma_nb5@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ouennoughi
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algérie.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yaiche
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biotechnology of Animal Reproduction, SAAD DAHLAB University of Blida (U.BLIDA1), BP 270, 09000, Blida, Algeria. Electronic address: kaidirachid@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaidi
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algérie; Laboratoire Associé en Ecosystèmes Marins et Aquacoles, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000, Bejaia, Algeria. Electronic address: imokrane@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iguer-Ouada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood*; D004971:Estrus / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010949:Plasma / Q000502:physiology*; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*
keywords: Bovine; Motility stimulation; Plasma; Semen; Subpopulations