engleski

ASSOCIATION OF SPERMATOZOA MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS WITH AGE OF BUCKS AND PROPORTION OF MOTILE SPERMATOZOA IN EJACULATE

Morphological and functional characteristics of spermatozoa (SP) in the ejaculate of bucks depending on genetic and environmental factors. The assessment of SP morphology is more sophisticated today with the use of systems for computer-assisted morphometric image analysis. Such methods provide more precise and detailed measurements compared to standard subjective methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the age of bucks on the morphometric parameters of SP head and tail, and the association of SP tail morphometric parameters with the proportion of motile SP. During the experimental period of 3 months, the ejaculates of French alpine bucks (n=12), aged from 1-4 years, were collected weekly by artificial vagina. The motility of SP was determined in semen samples by microscopy. Morphometric analysis was performed on stained semen smears (n=144) using method of Bloom, by the computer assisted-image analyses system. The parameters of SP head and tail size such as: area, outline, length, width, and parameters for head shape: regularity, rugosity, ellipticity, elongation were determined. The bucks were categorized according to their age and the proportion of motile SP in ejaculate, into 3 groups for each category. The youngest bucks (1-1.5 years) had significantly greater outline and length of mid-piece and significantly greater head ellipticity and elongation compared to the other 2 groups (1.5-2.5, 2.5-4 years). The oldest bucks (2.5-4 years) had a significantly smaller elongation and greater rugosity of the head. Bucks with the highest proportion of motile SP in the ejaculate (≥85%) had a significantly greater outline, length and area of the mid-piece and length of tail compared to other 2 groups (75% ; 75-85% motile SP in the ejaculate). The obtained results suggest that the SP of younger bucks had functionally desirable morphometric characteristics, and that the bucks with larger proportion of motile SP in their ejaculate had larger mid-piece and a longer tail of spermatozoa.

spermatozoa ; morphometric analysis ; bucks ; age ; motility of spermatozoa

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