Abstract
Metabolic profile of fresh turkey spermatozoa at three different reproductive period ages, namely 32, 44 and 56 weeks, was monitored by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and correlated to sperm quality parameters. The age-related decrease in sperm quality as indicated by reduction of sperm concentration, sperm mobility and osmotic tolerance was associated to variation in the level of specific water-soluble and liposoluble metabolites. In particular, the highest levels of isoleucine, phenylalanine, leucine, tyrosine and valine were found at 32 weeks of age, whereas aspartate, lactate, creatine, carnitine, acetylcarnitine levels increased during the ageing. Lipid composition also changed during the ageing: diunsaturated fatty acids level increased from 32 to 56 weeks of age, whereas a reduction of polyunsaturated fatty acids content was observed at 56 weeks. The untargeted approach attempts to give a wider picture of metabolic changes occurring in ageing suggesting that the reduction of sperm quality could be due to a progressive deficiency in mitochondrial energy producing systems, as also prompted by the negative correlation found between sperm mobility and the increase in certain mitochondrial metabolites.
Highlights
Avian semen is a complex fluid comprising spermatozoa and seminal plasma
Sperm viability did not show a clear trend during ageing; a significant decrease in sperm viability was recorded from 44 weeks to 56 weeks, whereas no significant differences were detected between 32 and 44 weeks, and between 32 and 56 weeks (Fig 1C)
This study was designed to evaluate the changes in the metabolite profile of turkey spermatozoa during the reproductive period and their influence on semen quality
Summary
Avian semen is a complex fluid comprising spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Semen quality and fertilizing ability depend strongly on semen composition [1, 2] that consists of many compounds, widely ranging in concentration, with different structures and physicochemical properties [3,4,5,6]. As well as sperm quality, can be influenced by various factors such as dietary manipulation, strain and, ageing [7,8,9,10]. A deeper knowledge on semen composition and its variation during ageing is needed to improve avian reproduction, farming output and genetic resources diversity preservation [11,12,13].
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