Abstract
Heat stress (HS) commonly causes boar infertility and economic loss in the swine industry. The heat tolerance of boar semen presents obvious differences among individuals. However, whether heat stress affects motion characteristics and the metabolome profile in boar sperm remains unclear. In this study, the kinetic features of sperm from HS and non-HS (NHS) groups were detected by computer-assisted sperm analysis, and metabolomic profiling was performed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results showed that heat stress significantly reduced sperm motility, average path distance (APD), straight-line velocity (VSL), straightness (STR), and linearity (LIN) (p < 0.05). A total of 528 and 194 metabolites in sperm were identified in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Lipids and lipid-like molecules, and organic acids and derivatives were major metabolic classes in the two modes. Furthermore, we separately identified 163 and 171 differential metabolites in the two modes between HS and NHS groups. Clustering analysis further revealed significant metabolic changes in sperm after heat stress. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that differential metabolites in the two modes were enriched in glycerophospholipid, choline, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate and lysine metabolism. Taken together, these results demonstrate that heat stress can alter the motion characteristics and metabolomic profiles of boar sperm.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
