PubMed HealthSearch

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “sperm storage”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantification of spermatozoa in the sperm-storage tubules of turkey hens and the relation to sperm numbers in the perivitelline layer of eggs.

This study was conducted to determine the number of spermatozoa residing in the oviduct sperm-storage tubules (SST) and the relationship between these numbers and the number of spermatozoa embedded in the perivitelline layer of oviductal eggs after a single insemination of 200 x 10(6) spermatozoa. The SST of hens inseminated within one week before the expected onset of egg production were filled faster (4 h vs. 2 days) and possessed more spermatozoa (4.1 vs. 2.0 x 10(6)) than the SST of hens inseminated after the onset of egg production. Furthermore, for hens in egg production, significantly fewer spermatozoa were recovered from the SST if the hen was inseminated within 2 h before or after oviposition than if inseminated more than 2 h before or after the oviposition. There was a strong positive correlation between the number of spermatozoa in the SST and the number of spermatozoa embedded in the perivitelline layer of the oviductal eggs (r = 0.85, p less than 0.01). These data show that the population of spermatozoa actually accepted by the SST is quite small relative to the number of spermatozoa inseminated and that maximum sperm-storage is achieved when the hen is inseminated just prior to the onset of egg production. It is suggested that the sperm-storage capacity of the oviduct and the quality of the semen sample can be estimated on the basis of numbers of spermatozoa embedded in the egg perivitelline layer.

Animals

Observations on the turkey oviductal sperm-storage tubule using differential interference contrast microscopy.

Squash preparations of unfixed, uterovaginal junction mucosae revealed that openings to sperm-storage tubules were round or slit-like and were surrounded by either cilia, which were part of the uterovaginal junction surface epithelium, or nonciliated cells resembling the sperm-storage tubule epithelium. By focusing on different levels of the sperm-storage tubule (optical sectioning), connective tissue fibres and cells between individual sperm-storage tubules, epithelium and lumen of sperm-storage tubules containing resident spermatozoa were observed. An optical section through the sperm-storage tubule epithelium revealed basal nuclei and associated nucleoli, and refractile supranuclear lipid droplets. Luminal spermatozoa were distributed primarily in the distal third of the sperm-storage tubule and nearly always formed a tight bundle at its base. These spermatozoa were often observed slowly and synchronously oscillating. In two-thirds of the 30-week-old, non-photostimulated hens, sperm-storage tubules were fully formed. In contrast, the remaining hens possessed bud-like surface invaginations lacking discernible lumina. It was concluded that differential interference contrast microscopy offers better spatial and optical resolution of the sperm-storage tubule than other modes of light microscopy.

Animals

Anatomical basis of sperm-storage in the avian oviduct.

The anatomical basis of oviductal sperm-storage in the avian oviduct is the sperm-storage tubule (SST). In the turkey this is composed of a simple columnar epithelium characterized by a supranuclear vacuole, which possibly contains lipid material, and appears to differentiate from the oviductal surface epithelium prior to full sexual maturation. Turkey SST epithelium was periodic-acid Schiff-negative and failed to bind four of the five lectins examined. Only winged pea agglutinin, which has an affinity for fucose-containing glycosidic residues, bound to some individual SST epithelial cells. Short-term cultures of oviductal mucosae containing SST showed aggregates of sperm associated with the spaces between adjacent folds and in surface openings assumed to be SST.

Animals

Filling rates of the uterovaginal sperm storage glands in the turkey.

Large White turkey hens were assigned to two groups of 30 birds each and photostimulated at 32 weeks of age. Group 1 hens (nonlaying) were artificially inseminated (AI) three times prior to the onset of lay on Days 14, 15, and 16 postlighting. Group 2 hens (laying) were also inseminated three times as in Group 1, but the inseminations followed the onset of egg production on Days 23, 24, and 25 postlighting. Six hens from each group were sacrificed following the initial insemination at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days. Histological sections of the uterovaginal (UV) junction from each hen were made to determine filling rates of the sperm storage glands. Sperm concentrations in the UV glands of the nonlaying hens did not increase significantly beyond 24 hr post-AI. There was a significant (P less than .05) peak, however, in the number of stored spermatozoa on Day 5 post-AI in the laying hens. These results indicate that inseminations performed in the absence of oviposition and ovulation enable the UV sperm storage glands to be filled nearer their capacity with fewer inseminations.

Animals

A histological examination of the uterovaginal sperm storage glands in the domestic hen following an insemination with variable semen dosages.

The uterovaginal sperm storage glands of the domestic hen were examined histologically and scored for filling rates 24 hr after an insemination. Two semen dosages (.023 and .047 ml) were employed and a comparison was made between the large and small semen dose. No significant differences were found between the two groups, suggesting that only a specific number of spermatozoa are capable of entering the uterovaginal sperm storage glands during a given time interval.

Animals

Relationship between fertility duration and in vivo sperm storage in broiler breeder hens.

1. Seventy Hubbard hens, 75 weeks of age, were divided into groups containing equal numbers of hens on the basis of duration of fertility. Average fertile periods were 14.5 d (long, L) and 6.9 d (short, S). Each hen was artificially inseminated (AI) on three consecutive days with an average of 1.61 X 10(9)/0.05 ml spermatozoa per insemination. Seven hens from each group were killed 1, 3, 6, 9, and 13 d after insemination. 2. Three longitudinal sections of uterovaginal junction were evaluated microscopically for spermatozoal storage capacity by assigning each sperm host gland (SHG) to one of 5 categories: unscorable, empty, one to 5 spermatozoa, 6 to 20 spermatozoa and greater than 20 spermatozoa. 3. The only significant difference in sperm storage at any time between the L and S duration groups occurred at day 1 after AI, when L duration hens possessed significantly more glands with more than 20 spermatozoa. 4. One day after AI the proportion of SHG containing sperm were 28.8% (L group) and 18.6% (S group). There was a significant decrease in the number of glands containing 1 to 5, 6 to 20 and greater than 20 spermatozoa between days 1 to 3 in both groups. 5. Numbers of glands in all categories containing sperm decreased throughout the 13-d period. The L duration group possessed 18.5% more glands with 1 to 5, 6 to 20 and greater than 20 spermatozoa than the S duration group. 6. There were no significant differences between groups in the proportion of unscorable or empty glands throughout, which ranged from 35.9 to 56.8% and 36.3 to 47.1%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Prolonged epididymal sperm storage, and the temporal dissociation of testicular and accessory gland activity in the common sheath-tail bat, Taphozous georgianus, of tropical Australia.

Peak spermatogenic activity of the common sheath-tail bat occurs in autumn, declines over winter and ceases in spring. Accessory glands enlarge in spring when mating occurs, but are regressed at other times of the year. Spermatozoa are stored in the cauda epididymidis throughout the year, and their numbers increase progressively from early summer to late autumn. Sperm storage permits asynchrony of male and female cycles and allows each to be optimally timed in relation to environmental conditions. The temporal separation of primary and secondary sexual functions in the male enables the insemination of females close to ovulation and is a consequence of the burden of sperm storage being placed upon the male.

Animals

Ultrastructural analyses of uterovaginal sperm storage glands in fertile and infertile turkey breeder hens.

The ultrastructure of the uterovaginal (UV) sperm storage glands of fertile turkey breeder hens was characterized. Sperm glands were also studied over the course of an entire egg-laying season to determine if changes in ultrastructure occurred with time. In addition, ultrastructural comparisons were made between glands from fertile and infertile hens. Protein synthesis by the sperm gland epithelial cells appeared to be limited. The rough endoplasmic reticulum was not well developed. Intracellular glycogen storage was also minimal. However, lipid stores within the epithelial cells were relatively elevated. The degree of development of the apical microvilli and the presence of baso-lateral plasma membrane folds suggested that a primary function of the glandular epithelium was absorption. The length of time that a hen had been producing eggs did not influence the ultrastructure of UV gland epithelial cells. The morphology of glands from hens collected immediately prior to the commencement of egg production was similar to that of glands taken from hens that had completed an entire season of egg production. Aside from the observation that very few spermatozoa were found in the UV sperm glands of infertile hens, no detectable ultrastructural differences were observed between glands from fertile and infertile hens. Furthermore, there was no ultrastructural evidence of a microbial infection, nor was there evidence of an immunological response at the level of the sperm glands in the infertile hens.

Animals

Biology of the scrotum. I. Temperature and androgen as determinants of the sperm storage capacity of the rat cauda epididymidis.

The lower temperature of the scrotum is a major determinant of the sperm storage capacity of the rat cauda epididymidis. Abdominal temperature significantly reduced sperm numbers in the rat cauda at 2 days and further to 20-25% of the controls by 16 days, despite continuous replacement of spermatozoa from a normal scrotal testis. Ipsilateral castration, when spermatozoa are not replaced, made even more obvious the immediate suppressive effect of body temperature on the storage capacity of the cauda. Furthermore, chronic exposure of the pre- and postpubertal epididymis to body temperature throughout the final growth period severely limited development of the storage potential of the cauda to about one-fifth of that reached in the scrotum. Histological sections indicate this reduction is due to a diminution in the diameter and possibly also length of the duct. Though temperature appears relatively the more influential, the retention of spermatozoa in a viable state of the cauda is compromised also by androgen withdrawal. Together, however, the low temperature of the scrotal location and testicular androgen act in a synergistic manner to optimize the storage capacity of the cauda epididymidis, as well as the viability of the spermatozoa there. Ligation experiments indicate that the rapid disappearance of spermatozoa following androgen withdrawal or imposition of body temperature results from their accelerated passage into the vas deferens and beyond.

Abdomen

Asymmetric development and function of paired sperm-storage organs in Drosophila melanogaster.

Paired structures often have similar forms and functions, but the processes underlying their formation can differ. They may originate from a common source or from parallel sources, or arise from distinct precursors that follow separate developmental pathways, ultimately converging on comparable structures and roles. When asymmetries emerge and persist through development, members of the pair can specialize in ways that might increase fitness. Here, we report that the Drosophila melanogaster female's pair of spermathecae, which appear similar and have the common role of sperm storage, derive from different developmental compartments defined by expression of lineage-tracing markers corresponding, respectively, to the key patterning genes engrailed and wingless. We further find that the two spermathecae show significant differences in size, secretory activity, and calcium levels and, perhaps as a consequence, sperm retention dynamics. These results open broad avenues for understanding how developmental, physiological, and behavioral asymmetries arise and impact reproductive success.

Animals

Seminal vesicles as organs of sperm storage.

This study was done to determine whether or not the seminal vesicles store spermatozoa. Half of the nonhuman primates' vesicles had sperm at autopsy as did one of the men dying a traumatic death. Seminal vesicle sperm storage may be the reason for continued spermatozoa in the ejaculates of men after vasectomy.

Adolescent

Relationships among fertility, sperm storage, and shell quality.

One hundred and nine White Leghorn hens (50 weeks of age) were used to determine the relationships among fertility, sperm storage, and shell quality. The hens were artificially inseminated (AI) on 2 consecutive days with 100 million spermatozoa per insemination. Eggs were collected for 17 days and were classified as hard shell (HS), thin shell (TS), or shell-less (SL). Specific gravity (SG) was determined on HS eggs. All eggs were incubated for 3 days and broken out to determine fertility. The SL eggs were difficult to incubate; therefore, fertility was not obtained for these eggs. Hens producing eggs with SG less than 1.070 showed a significant (P less than .05) decrease in percent and duration of fertility. Specific gravity was significantly correlated with percent fertility, duration of fertility, and fertile egg production. Following the fertility trial, five hens laying HS and five hens laying SL eggs were inseminated as previously described and were killed on the day after the second insemination. The uterovaginal segments were excised, processed for histological evaluation, and stained for either oil red O to quantitate lipid or hematoxylin and eosin to show sperm distribution in uterovaginal sperm-host glands (UV-SHG). Histological examination of the UV-SHG showed that SL hens had a significantly higher percentage of empty glands than HS hens. However, there were no differences between HS and SL hens for UV-SHG lipid deposition.

Animals

Influence of neuraminidase on fertility and on sperm storage in the hen's oviduct.

Preinsemination incubation of semen with neuraminidase (4 IU/2 x 10(9) spermatozoa) significantly reduced fertility in one out of two trials. No differences were observed in fertility between semen treated with 4 versus 8 or 4 versus 16 IU of neuraminidase in Trials 1 or 2. All three levels of neuraminidase (4, 8, or 16 IU) removed the same amount (about 45%) of the bound sialic acids from spermatozoa during incubation. The removal of sialic acid from spermatozoa had a slight but nonsignificant affect on sperm storage within the uterovaginal (UV) sperm-host glands. Hens inseminated with neuraminidase-treated spermatozoa had decreased numbers of full and partially full UV sperm-host glands and increased numbers of empty glands, compared to hens inseminated with untreated but incubated spermatozoa. In the present study, reduced fertility resulting from the treatment of spermatozoa with neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens indicates the desirability of exploring the use of other neuraminidases to see whether a correlation exists between the amount of sialic acid removed from spermatozoa and their subsequent fertility.

Animals

Emptying of the uterovaginal sperm storage glands in the absence of ovulation and oviposition in the domestic hen.

Domestic hens were treated with pregnant mare serum to study the temporal pattern of sperm gland emptying in the absence of ovulation and oviposition. After a cessation of ovulation and oviposition, the hens were artificially inseminated with .034 ml of pooled semen. Subsequent histological examination of the uterovaginal sperm glands on days 1, 6, and 12 post-insemination indicated that the temporal rate of sperm-gland emptying was not significantly different from that of control birds which were laying normally. This observation suggests that ovulation and oviposition, along with their assoicated humoral factors, have a minimal effect on the emptying of the uterovaginal sperm storage glands.

Animals

A preovulatory temperature gradient between the isthmus and ampulla of pig oviducts during the phase of sperm storage.

Fine thermistor probes positioned in each end of the same oviduct and connected to the same scale were used to measure temperature gradients in the lumen before and after spontaneous ovulation in normally-cyclic gilts. Readings were taken after full surgical closure of a mid-ventral incision and a subsequent period of stabilization, but whilst animals remained under general anaesthesia. A small but consistent difference in temperature was recorded between the proximal ampulla and distal isthmus of the same oviduct in each of 20 preovulatory gilts. In 10 of these animals that had not mated, the isthmus was a mean of 0.43 degree C cooler than the ampulla (range 0.2-0.7 degree C) whereas in 10 mated animals the isthmus was 0.69 degree C cooler (range 0.2-1.6 degree C); 3 animals in the latter group had within-oviduct differences of greater than or equal to 1 degrees C. By contrast, in 12 animals that had recently ovulated, the isthmus was a mean of only 0.1 degree C cooler than the ampulla; there was no measurable temperature gradient in 3 of the animals, whilst the isthmus was 0.1 degree C warmer in 2 animals. The preovulatory temperature differences are thought primarily to reflect the extent and activity of the vascular and lymphatic beds in the oviduct tissues and, together with specific chemical microenvironments, may facilitate the relatively prolonged period of sperm storage in the distal portion of the isthmus.

Animals