Sperm Release From the Oviductal Epithelium Depends on Ca(2+) Influx Upon Activation of CB1 and TRPV1 by Anandamide.

GERVASI, MARIA GRACIA; OSYCKA-SALUT CLAUDIA; SANCHEZ TRINIDAD; ALONSO CARLOS; LLADOS CARMEN; CASTELLANO LUCIANA; FRANCHI, ANA MARIA; VILLALON MANUEL; PEREZ MARTINEZ SILVINA

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2016

0730-2312

The oviduct acts as a functional sperm reservoir in many mammalian species. Both binding and release of spermatozoa from the oviductalepithelium are mainly modulated by sperm capacitation. Several molecules from oviductal fluid are involved in the regulation of spermfunction. Anandamide is a lipid mediator involved in reproductive physiology. Previously, we demonstrated that anandamide, throughactivation of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), promotes sperm release from bovine oviductal epithelial cells, and through CB1 and thetransient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), induces sperm capacitation. Herein we investigate co-activation between CB1 and TRPV1, andCa2þ influx as part of the mechanism of action of anandamide during sperm release from oviductal cells. Our results indicate that in the absenceof Ca2þ anandamide failed to release spermatozoa from oviductal epithelial cells. Additionally, sperm release promoted by cannabinoid andvanilloid agonists was abolished when the spermatozoa were preloaded with BAPTA-AM, a Ca2þ chelator. We also determined Ca2þ levels inspermatozoa preloaded with FURA2-AM co-cultured with oviductal cells and incubated with different cannabinoid and vanilloid agonists. Theincubation with different agonists induced Ca2þ influx, which was abolished by CB1 or TRPV1 antagonists. Our results also suggest that aphospholypase C (PLC) might mediate the activation of CB1 and TRPV1 in sperm release from the bovine oviduct. Therefore, our findingsindicate that anandamide, through CB1 and TRPV1 activation, is involved in sperm release from the oviductal reservoir. An increase of spermCa2þ levels and the PLC activation might be involved in anandamide signaling pathway.