Effects of pivalic acid and sodium pivalate on L-carnitine concentrations in the cauda epididymidis and on male fertility in the hamster.

In this study, administration of pivalic acid or its sodium salt was found to decrease the L-carnitine concentration in the epididymal lumen of the hamster; it also tested whether this decrease affected sperm cell motility, chromatin structure, or fertilizing capacity. Provision of pivalic acid or its sodium salt (20 mM or 40 mM) in the drinking water of mature male golden hamsters for 30 days reduced (by 72%, 75%, and 83% in three experiments) the L-carnitine concentration of the cauda epididymidis but did not inhibit sperm chromatin condensation, as assessed by flow cytometry. The treatments did not alter the location of motile sperm in the epididymidis nor did they appreciably affect the motility of sperm obtained from the distal cauda epididymidis. The numbers and percentage of ova that reached the 2-cell stage 36-40 h after uterine insemination with spermatozoa from control and treated hamsters served as a measure of sperm fertility. Treatment with pivalic acid or sodium pivalate did not render male hamsters infertile although it appeared to reduce the fertilizing ability of their spermatozoa. These results suggest that the high concentration of L-carnitine present in the lumen of the cauda epididymidis is not required for maturation of sperm chromatin or development of sperm motility.