Egyptien Sophie, Deleuze Stéfan, Ledeck Joy, Ponthier Jérôme
Equine Theriogenology, Equine Clinical Sciences Department, FARAH Comparative Veterinary Medicine, Liège University, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Oct 6;13(19):3123. doi: 10.3390/ani13193123.
Stallion sperm analysis is indicated for infertility diagnosis, pre-sale expertise, production of fresh or frozen doses, and frozen straw quality control. Various collection methods are described, and numerous assays can be performed on semen. Determining an approach for each of these cases is challenging. This review aims to discuss how to obtain relevant clinical results, answering stallion owners' concerns. Semen can be collected with an artificial vagina on a phantom or a mare, by electro-ejaculation under anesthesia, or after pharmacological induction. The collection method influences the semen volume and concentration, while the total sperm number depends on the testicular production and collection frequency. In the seminal plasma, acidity, pro-oxidant activity, and some enzymes have repercussions for the semen quality and its conservation. Moreover, non-sperm cells of seminal plasma may impact semen conservation. Motility analysis remains a core parameter, as it is associated with fresh or frozen dose fertility. Computer-assisted motility analyzers have improved repeatability, but the reproducibility between laboratories depends on the settings that are used. Morphology analysis showing spermatozoa defects is useful to understand production and maturation abnormalities. Staining of the spermatozoa is used to evaluate viability, but recent advances in flow cytometry and in fluorochromes enable an evaluation of multiple intracellular parameters. Spermatozoa protein expression already has clinical applications, for example, as a fertility and freezing ability predictor. At present, stallion semen analysis ranges from macroscopic evaluation to assessing spermatozoa proteins. However, clinically, all these data may not be relevant, and the lack of standardization may complicate their interpretation.
种马精液分析适用于不孕症诊断、售前鉴定、新鲜或冷冻精液剂量的生产以及冷冻细管精液质量控制。文中描述了多种采集方法，并且可以对精液进行众多检测。为这些情况中的每一种确定一种方法都具有挑战性。本综述旨在讨论如何获得相关临床结果，解答种马所有者的疑问。精液可以通过假阴道在采精架或母马身上采集，通过麻醉下的电射精法采集，或者在药物诱导后采集。采集方法会影响精液体积和浓度，而精子总数则取决于睾丸的生成和采集频率。在精浆中，酸度、促氧化活性和一些酶会对精液质量及其保存产生影响。此外，精浆中的非精子细胞可能会影响精液保存。活力分析仍然是一个核心参数，因为它与新鲜或冷冻精液剂量的生育力相关。计算机辅助活力分析仪提高了重复性，但实验室之间的再现性取决于所使用的设置。显示精子缺陷的形态学分析有助于了解生产和成熟异常情况。精子染色用于评估活力，但流式细胞术和荧光染料的最新进展能够评估多个细胞内参数。精子蛋白表达已经有临床应用，例如作为生育力和冷冻能力的预测指标。目前，种马精液分析范围从宏观评估到精子蛋白评估。然而，在临床上，所有这些数据可能并不相关，并且缺乏标准化可能会使它们的解释变得复杂。
