Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, Córdoba, Argentina.
Anim Reprod Sci. 2011 Jul;126(3-4):229-33. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2011.06.010. Epub 2011 Jul 2.
The objectives of this study of seminal quality of chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) males were to evaluate (1) the use of neutral alpha-glucosidase (NAG) as a functional epididymal marker in this species, and (2) the effects of repetitive electroejaculation on sperm function and seminal NAG concentration. Semen was obtained by electroejaculation from sexually mature domestic Ch. lanigera males (n=6) once a week for six consecutive weeks, and evaluated to assess seminal volume and NAG activity, and sperm concentration and functional activity (motility, viability, membrane and acrosome integrity). Body weight was determined in all animals before each electroejaculation procedure. NAG activity was detected in all semen samples obtained, reaching a concentration of 55.4±6.8μU/mL. No significant variations were observed throughout the experimental period in any of the semen quality parameters evaluated. A reduction (P=0.001) in body weight was detected from the third week of experimentation and by the end of the experiments the animals lost a 7.2±0.9% of body weight. Overall, results in the present study confirm that NAG activity is detectable in chinchilla seminal plasma and that repetitive electroejaculation is not deleterious, on a short-term basis, to the semen characteristics.
本研究旨在评估（1）中性α-葡萄糖苷酶（NAG）作为该物种功能性附睾标志物的应用，以及（2）重复电刺激射精对精子功能和精液 NAG 浓度的影响。通过对性成熟的家养南美栗鼠（Chinchilla lanigera）雄性动物（n=6）进行每周一次的电刺激射精，连续进行 6 周，获得精液样本，并评估精液体积和 NAG 活性以及精子浓度和功能活性（活力、活力、膜和顶体完整性）。在每次电刺激射精前，对所有动物进行体重测定。在所有获得的精液样本中均检测到 NAG 活性，浓度达到 55.4±6.8μU/mL。在整个实验期间，评估的任何精液质量参数均未观察到显著变化。从实验的第三周开始，体重出现下降（P=0.001），到实验结束时，动物体重减轻了 7.2±0.9%。总的来说，本研究的结果证实，NAG 活性可在南美栗鼠精液中检测到，并且重复电刺激射精在短期内对精液特征没有损害。
