Animal Physiology and Reproduction Division, ICAR- Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, 125001, Haryana, India.
Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, 125001, Haryana, India.
Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 30;9(1):6712. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43038-4.
The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism by which RU 486 (mifepristone) protects sperm to undergo premature capacitation during cryopreservation. For this, semen ejaculate (n = 20) was divided into four equal fractions and diluted using egg yolk-based extender supplemented with different concentrations of RU 486 (0, 5, 10 and 20 µM) and cryopreserved. We found that RU 486 did not impair the post-thaw sperm kinetics and motility but prevented cholesterol efflux, calcium influx, and protected CatSper channels during cryopreservation. The RU 486 protected sperm from premature capacitation which was confirmed by intracellular calcium level, expression of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins (75 and 80 kDa) and CTC (chlortetracycline) assay. Furthermore, antioxidant ability of RU 486 was reflected by the ferric reducing ability, lower production of sperm malondialdehyde and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Also, we demonstrated that RU 486 treated sperm underwent normal capacitation, zona pellucida binding and zygote cleavage indicating normal fertilizing ability of sperm. In conclusion, we report a new role of RU 486 in protecting buffalo sperm from premature capacitation during cryopreservation.
本研究旨在确定 RU 486(米非司酮)在冷冻保存过程中保护精子过早获能的机制。为此,将精液(n=20)分为四等份,并用蛋黄基稀释液稀释,其中添加不同浓度的 RU 486(0、5、10 和 20μM)并进行冷冻保存。我们发现 RU 486 不会损害解冻后精子的动力学和活力,但可以防止胆固醇外排、钙离子内流,并在冷冻保存过程中保护 CatSper 通道。RU 486 可防止精子过早获能,这一点可通过细胞内钙离子水平、酪氨酸磷酸化蛋白(75 和 80kDa)和 CTC(氯四环素)测定来证实。此外,RU 486 的抗氧化能力反映在其还原能力、精子丙二醛和细胞内活性氧的产生较低。此外,我们还证明 RU 486 处理的精子可以正常获能、透明带结合和受精卵分裂,表明精子具有正常的受精能力。总之,我们报告了 RU 486 在保护水牛精子在冷冻保存过程中免受过早获能方面的新作用。