Biotechnology of Animal and Human Reproduction (TechnoSperm), Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
Unit of Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
Biomolecules. 2020 Jun 15;10(6):906. doi: 10.3390/biom10060906.
In pigs, ejaculate is expelled in fractions, mainly the sperm-rich fraction (SRF) and the post-SRF (PSRF), which differ in both sperm content and origin. In addition, intra-ejaculate variability between fractions in terms of sperm reproductive characteristics has been previously reported, the highest sperm quality being observed in the first 10 mL of the SRF (SRF-P1). As seminal plasma (SP) composition has been purported to influence sperm physiology, the aim of this study was to profile pig SP metabolite composition and to find putative differences between the ejaculate portions (SRF-P1, the rest of SRF [SRF-P2], PSRF) and entire ejaculate (EE). To this end, ejaculates ( = 8, one per boar) were collected in fractions and SP was analyzed using H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. We identified 19 metabolites present in all ejaculate portions and the EE, and reported correlations between the metabolites. Additionally, and for the first time in mammals, we found intra-ejaculate variability in the SP metabolites, observing different relative abundances in choline, glycerophosphocholine and glycine. Regarding their influence in sperm physiology, we hypothesize that these metabolites may explain the specific reproductive characteristics of each ejaculate portion. Finally, the reported SP metabolites could serve as a first steppingstone in the study of quality, functionality, and fertility biomarkers.
在猪中，精液是分批次排出的，主要包括富含精子的部分（SRF）和射精后剩余的部分（PSRF），这两部分在精子含量和来源上存在差异。此外，先前已经报道了批次间精子生殖特征的变异性，在 SRF 的前 10ml（SRF-P1）中观察到最高的精子质量。由于精液中血浆（SP）的成分可能会影响精子的生理机能，因此本研究旨在分析猪 SP 代谢产物的组成，并寻找射出精液各部分（SRF-P1、其余的 SRF [SRF-P2]、PSRF）和整个射出精液（EE）之间的潜在差异。为此，我们对精液（每个公猪采集 8 份样本）进行了分批收集，并使用 H 核磁共振波谱法分析了 SP。我们在所有射出精液部分和 EE 中都鉴定出了 19 种存在的代谢产物，并报告了它们之间的相关性。此外，这是首次在哺乳动物中发现了 SP 代谢产物的射出精液内变异性，观察到胆碱、甘油磷酸胆碱和甘氨酸的相对丰度不同。考虑到它们对精子生理机能的影响，我们假设这些代谢产物可能解释了每个射出精液部分的特定生殖特征。最后，报道的 SP 代谢产物可以作为研究精液质量、功能和生育力生物标志物的第一步。
