Abstract
The antioxidant composition of the chicken seminal plasma and spermatozoa and the effect of sperm storage on fatty acid composition of the phospholipid fraction were investigated. Chicken semen displayed ' range of antioxidants including vitamin E, ascorbic acid, glutathione , superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Ascorbic acid was almost equally distributed between seminal plasma and spermatozoa. In contrast, reduced glutathione and vitamin E were located mainly in the spermatozoa. The main form of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was Se-dependent GSH-Px, which was found in both the seminal plasma and the spermatozoa. On the other hand, superoxide dismutase (SOD) was mainly located (67%) in the spermatozoa. Cu,Zn-SOD was found only in seminal plasma but both forms of the enzyme (Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD) were found in spermatozoa. The toxic effect of H 2O 2 and cumene hydroperoxide on sperm motility was determined. Sperm incubation for 12 hours at 20°C was associated with a significant decrease in the proportion of 22:4n-6 in the phospholipid fraction. The inclusion of Fe 2+ in the incubation medium at 37°C further increased the rate of lipid peroxidation as indicated by the significant decrease in the proportion of 20:4n-6, 22:4n-6, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 in the phospholipid. Free radical-trapping activity of seminal plasma was measured. Possible mechanisms involved in sperm antioxidant protection are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11-23 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Avian and Poultry Biology Reviews |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Print publication - 1 Dec 1998 |
Keywords
- Antioxidants
- Chicken
- Glutathione peroxidase
- Lipid peroxidation
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids
- Spermatozoa
- Superoxide dismutase
- Vitamin E