1. Academic Validation
  2. Polyamines protect boar sperm from oxidative stress in vitro

Polyamines protect boar sperm from oxidative stress in vitro

  • J Anim Sci. 2022 Apr 1;100(4):skac069. doi: 10.1093/jas/skac069.
Rongnan Li 1 Xiaodong Wu 1 Zhendong Zhu 1 Yinghua Lv 2 Yi Zheng 1 Hongzhao Lu 3 Kaifeng Zhou 4 De Wu 5 Wenxian Zeng 1 Wuzi Dong 1 Tao Zhang 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory for Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
  • 2 College of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
  • 3 School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, Shaanxi 723001, China.
  • 4 Shandong Provincial Animal Husbandry General Station, Jinan, Shandong 250000, China.
  • 5 Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611100, China.
Abstract

Sperm are susceptible to excessive Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Spermine and spermidine are secreted in large amounts by the prostate and potent natural free radical scavengers and protect cells against redox disorder. Thus, we used boar sperm as a model to study the polyamines uptake and elucidate whether polyamines protected sperm from ROS stress. Seven mature and fertile Duroc boars (aged 15 to 30 mo) were used in this study. In experiment 1, spermine and spermidine (3.6 ± 0.3 and 3.3 ± 0.2 mmol/L, respectively) were abundant in seminal plasma, and the content of polyamine decreased (P < 0.05) after preservation at 17 °C for 7 d or incubation at 37 °C for 6 h. In experiment 2, using labeling of spermine or spermidine by conjugation with fluorescein isothiocyanate and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, we found that the accumulation of spermine or spermidine in sperm was inhibited by quinidine and dl-tetrahydropalmatine (THP, organic cation transporters [OCT] inhibitors, P < 0.05), but not mildronate and l-carnitine (organic cation/carnitine transporter [OCTN] inhibitors, P > 0.05). In experiment 3, the addition of spermine or spermidine (0.5 mmol/L) in the extender resulted in higher motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, and lower ROS level after preservation in vitro at 17 °C for 7 d (P < 0.05). In experiment 4, in the condition of oxidative stress (treatment with H2O2 at 37 °C for 2 h), the addition of spermine (1 mmol/L) or spermidine (0.5 mmol/L) in extender increased activities of Glutathione Peroxidase, Glutathione Reductase, and glutathione S-transferase; reduced glutathione and oxidized glutathione ratio (P < 0.05); and alleviate oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) decline, adenosine triphosphate depletion, and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) overload (P < 0.05), thereby improving boar sperm motility, the integrity of plasma membrane and acrosome (P < 0.05) in vitro. These data suggest that spermine and spermidine alleviate oxidative stress via the antioxidant capacity, thereby improving the efficacy of boar semen preservation.

Keywords

antioxidant; oxidative stress; polyamine; preservation; sperm.

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