EFFECT OF COPPER ON BULL SPERMATOZOA VIABILITY AND SPERM?ZONA PELLUCIDA BINDING.

ANCHORDOQUY JP; SIRINI MA; ANCHORDOQUY JM; TESTA JA; FURNUS CC; PERAL-GARCÍA P

Chascomús

Jornada; XVI Jornadas Anuales de la Sociedad Argentina de Biología; 2014

SOCIEDAD ARGENTNA DE BIOLOGÍA

Copper (Cu) deficiency is linked to a variety of clinical signs, including impaired reproductive performance. The present study was focused on the effect of Cu on sperm viability and sperm?zona pellucida binding (ZP-b). Motile spermatozoa from bull frozen semen were separated by a discontinuous Percoll gradient. Sperm were incubated in TALP medium containing 0 (control); 2; 4; and 6 µg/mL Cu at 39°C in 5% CO2 in air. Sperm viability was evaluated at 0 h and 6 h of incubation with eosin-nigrosin stain. The ZP-b assay was carried out by sperm co-incubation with immature denuded oocytes for 2 h.  Then the oocytes were washed and stained with Hoechst 33342. The number of spermatozoa bound to oocytes was recorded with an epifluorescence microscope. After 6 h of incubation, sperm viability did not differ with 0; 2 and 6 µg/mL Cu, but were lower with 4 µg/mL Cu (P < 0.05). The presence of 4 µg/mL Cu during gamete co-incubation increased the number of sperm bound to zona pellucida. In conclusion, 4 µg/mL Cu concentrations enhanced fertility parameters of bull spermatozoa.