Lipid changes during epididymal maturation in ram spermatozoa collected at different times of the year.

The phospholipid and phospholipid fatty acid content of ram spermatozoa decreased during maturation in the epididymis but interpretation of the results was complicated by a possible seasonal factor. Loss of individual fatty acids was selective, resulting in an increase in unsaturation during maturation. Testicular spermatozoa and fluid collected directly into chloroform-methanol contained about 7 times more neutral lipid fatty acid than testicular spermatozoa collected for 6--18 h, separated from the rete testis fluid and then extracted; the difference was not due to lipid in the rete testis fluid. Thin-layer chromatography indicated that cholesterol esters and triglycerides were the neutral lipids which were not lost during collection. Epididymal spermatozoa contained only slightly less neutral lipid fatty acid than continuously collected testicular spermatozoa.