Effect of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) supplementation on the sperm quality of fish after short-term storage

Abstract

Selenium is a necessary trace element for animals, and it can improve the antioxidant capacity of a variety of cells. In this study, the antioxidant capacity of different concentrations of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) (0.1, 0.5, 1.5, and 4.5 mg/L) on Onychostoma macrolepis and Schizothorax prenanti sperm were explored during stored at 4 °C for 72 h. After 24 h, 0.5 mg/L SeNPs was more effective at improving the quality of Onychostoma macrolepis sperm by stabilizing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the sperm. A similar function of SeNPs was also found in Schizothorax prenanti sperm. RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3) significantly inhibited the effect of SeNPs on Onychostoma macrolepis sperm quality. Moreover, RSL3 completely abolished the effect of SeNPs which inhibited glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein degradation in Onychostoma macrolepis sperm. The GPX4 protein is mainly located at the midpiece, where mitochondria were enriched in Onychostoma macrolepis sperm. These results revealed that GPX4 played an important role in sperm storage in vitro, and SeNPs stabilized ROS levels mainly by regulating GPX4 in Onychostoma macrolepis sperm. Furthermore, compared with the midpiece of the non-activated sperm, the midpiece of the activated sperm displayed deformation and a higher ATP content. In summary, SeNPs can effectively sustain the level of physiological reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Onychostoma macrolepis and Schizothorax prenanti sperm during storage at 4 °C, thereby SeNPs may be a potential additive for fish sperm stored in vitro.