Improving motility and fertilization capacity of low-quality sperm of sterlet Acipenser ruthenus during storage

Miaomiao Xin; Yu Cheng; Marek Rodina; Vladimíra Tučková; William L Shelton; Otomar Linhart

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.07.004

Improving motility and fertilization capacity of low-quality sperm of sterlet Acipenser ruthenus during storage

Theriogenology. 2020 Oct 15:156:90-96. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.07.004. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Authors

Miaomiao Xin¹, Yu Cheng¹, Marek Rodina², Vladimíra Tučková², William L Shelton², Otomar Linhart³

Affiliations

¹ University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Czech Republic; Sino-Czech Joint Laboratory for Fish Conservation and Biotechnology, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, China.
² University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Czech Republic.
³ University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodnany, Czech Republic. Electronic address: linhart@frov.jcu.cz.

PMID: 32682180
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.07.004

Abstract

Improvement of sperm quality with low motility by storage could ensure higher success of fertilization and maintain higher genetic diversity, especially for sturgeons, which as endangered species have limited broodstock and gametes. Sperm was collected from mature male sterlet Acipenser ruthenus and motility was evaluated using the CASA system; samples were categorized as GS 'good sperm' (>80%) or BS 'bad sperm' (<20%). Samples from both groups were incubated with seminal plasma from good- (GSP) and bad-quality sperm (BSP), respectively for 15 min, 6 h, 24 h and 96 h at 4 °C. Motility of BS incubated in GSP increased after different storage times compared to BS incubated in BSP, while the motility and velocity of GS incubated in BSP decreased compared to GS incubated in GSP. Fertilization rates were evaluated with samples stored for 15 min and 6 h post-stripping; fertilization and hatching rate of BS after incubation in GSP increased significantly compared to the BS incubated in BSP. Inorganic ion (Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^-) concentrations and osmolality of BSP were significantly lower than that of GSP. These results indicated that sterlet sperm quality can be revitalized by incubation with GSP. Further, fertilization capacity of BS after incubation in GSP can reach similar levels to the good quality sperm (∼70%). Low ion concentration and osmolality in BSP may be a partial cause of low sperm quality. The current study is the first report on the capability to revitalize low quality sterlet sperm by storage in GSP.

Keywords: Fertilization success; Motility; Seminal plasma; Sperm storage; Sturgeon.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fertilization
Fishes
Male
Semen
Semen Preservation* / veterinary
Sperm Motility*
Spermatozoa