Aurich Christine, Ortega Ferrusola Cristina, Peña Vega Fernando Juan, Schrammel Nadine, Morcuende David, Aurich Jörg
Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer, Department of Small Animals and Horses, Vetmeduni Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Laboratory of Equine Reproduction, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
Theriogenology. 2018 Feb;107:149-153. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.11.004. Epub 2017 Nov 10.
Spermatozoa contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Cryopreservation damages sperm membranes and they become less functional after thawing. We analysed the lipid composition of spermatozoa from Shetland stallions (n = 15) collected monthly from January to June and hypothesized that sperm lipid patterns change with season. In addition, one ejaculate per month was submitted to cryopreservation. Content of saturated palmytic and stearic acid decreased from January to March (p < 0.001) while content of the PUFA docosapentaenoic (p < 0.001) and arachidonic acid (p < 0.05) and total PUFA (p < 0.001) increased. Docosapentaenoic acid was the predominant PUFA in stallion spermatozoa. In conclusion, the sperm fatty acid composition of Shetland pony stallions undergoes seasonal changes, and PUFA content increases from the non-breeding to the breeding season. Seasonal differences in sperm fatty acids might in part explain seasonal differences in the resistance of equine spermatozoa to cryopreservation and cooled-storage.
精子含有多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）。冷冻保存会损害精子膜，解冻后精子功能会降低。我们分析了1月至6月每月采集的设得兰种公马（n = 15）的精子脂质组成，并假设精子脂质模式会随季节变化。此外，每月一份射精样本进行冷冻保存。饱和棕榈酸和硬脂酸的含量从1月到3月下降（p < 0.001），而多不饱和脂肪酸二十二碳五烯酸（p < 0.001）、花生四烯酸（p < 0.05）和总多不饱和脂肪酸（p < 0.001）的含量增加。二十二碳五烯酸是种公马精子中主要的多不饱和脂肪酸。总之，设得兰小马种公马的精子脂肪酸组成会发生季节性变化，且多不饱和脂肪酸含量从非繁殖季节到繁殖季节会增加。精子脂肪酸的季节性差异可能部分解释了马精子对冷冻保存和冷藏抵抗力的季节性差异。
