Dpto. Fisiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Reprod Domest Anim. 2024 Oct;59 Suppl 3:e14636. doi: 10.1111/rda.14636.
β-nerve growth factor (βNGF) plays a crucial role in reproductive physiology and sperm quality. Enzymatic activity of seminal plasma and vaginal fluids reduces available βNGF and it has been demonstrated that chitosan microspheres could protect rrβNGF from degradation. This study examined the effects of microencapsulated rrbNGF with chitosan on rabbit sperm viability, motility and capacitation status. Results showed that 0.5 and 1 μg/mL of microencapsulated rrβNGF, as well as free rrβNGF or empty microspheres, did not adversely affect sperm viability or total motility after 2 h of incubation. However, the highest progressivity kinetic parameters were observed with 1 μg/mL free rrβNGF, while the highest curvilinear velocity (VCL) occurred with 0.5 μg/mL microencapsulated rrβNGF. Empty chitosan microspheres did not induce acrosome reaction (AR), but both concentrations of free and rrβNGFch favoured AR during in vitro incubation. The study suggests that using chitosan spheres did not show any adverse effects on sperm traits, unlike free rβNGF and rrβNGFch promoted capacitation and AR. Further research is needed to explore the potential of rrβNGFch in modifying in vitro capacitation and inducing ovulation during artificial insemination.
β-神经生长因子（βNGF）在生殖生理学和精子质量中起着至关重要的作用。精液和阴道液中的酶活性会降低βNGF 的含量，已有研究证明壳聚糖微球可以保护 rrβNGF 免受降解。本研究探讨了壳聚糖微囊化 rrbNGF 对兔精子活力、运动能力和获能状态的影响。结果表明，在孵育 2 小时后，0.5 和 1μg/mL 的微囊化 rrβNGF 以及游离 rrβNGF 或空微球对精子活力或总运动能力没有不良影响。然而，最高的渐进性动力学参数出现在 1μg/mL 的游离 rrβNGF 中，而最高的曲线速度（VCL）则出现在 0.5μg/mL 的微囊化 rrβNGF 中。空壳聚糖微球不会引起顶体反应（AR），但在体外孵育过程中，游离 rrβNGF 和 rrβNGFch 的两种浓度均促进了 AR。研究表明，与游离 rβNGF 不同，壳聚糖球的使用对精子特性没有任何不良影响，而游离 rrβNGF 和 rrβNGFch 促进了获能和 AR。需要进一步研究以探索 rrβNGFch 在修改体外获能和诱导人工授精排卵方面的潜力。
