Effect of a fertilization-promoting peptide on the fertilizing ability and glycosidase activity in vitro of frozen-thawed spermatozoa in the pig

Abstract

This study has evaluated the effect of fertilization-promoting peptide (FPP) on the fertilizing ability and glycosidase activity in vitro of frozen-thawed boar spermatozoa. Use of chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence analysis, as well as various glycosidase analyses and the oocyte penetration test showed that FPP can promote the fertilizing ability and glycosidase activity of frozen-thawed spermatozoa in vitro. There were significantly ( P<0.05) more acrosome-reacted and penetrated in medium with 100 nM FPP than with 0, 50, 200 or 400 nM. The β- N-acetylglucosaminidase (β-GlcNAcase) activity was at least two-fold higher than other glycosidase regardless of FPP concentrations. In the same glycosidase, there were no differences in medium with different concentrations of FPP. The percentages of spermatozoa that reached acrosome reaction were affected by different periods (0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 h) of spermatozoa preincubation and were higher in medium with than without FPP. Penetration rates were decreased with preincubation periods of spermatozoa when oocytes were inseminated with spermatozoa preincubated in medium with and without FPP for the different periods. These rates were higher in spermatozoa preincubated with that than without FPP and had a tendency to increase as time of culture periods when the sperm–oocyte were cultured for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24 h. The activities of α-fucosidase, α-mannosidase, β-galactosidase and β-GlcNAcase were higher in medium with that than without FPP regardless of periods of sperm preincubation and sperm–oocyte culture. These results suggest that FPP may have a positive role in promoting sperm function and glycosidase activity in the pig.