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Membrane Alterations in Bull Spermatozoa after Freezing and Thawing and after In Vitro Fertilization

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 35, pages 17–26 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

Membrane alterations in bull spermatozoa after freezing and thawing and after the process of in vitro capacitation and fertilization were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Even if the majority of the spermatozoa exhibited intact membranes after freezing and thawing (90%), one could distinguish between 3 types of membrane defects depending of the different structures involved. The first type showed loss of plasmalemma over the entire acrosome. In the second category the anterior part of the outer acrosomal membrane exhibited a pronounced extension, but was covered by a partly intact plasmalemma. The last category consisted of spermatozoa with extensive vesiculation and disruption of plasmalemma and the outer acrosomal membrane. This type of defect could not easily be distinguished from a true acrosome reaction. The cumulus cells showed an active phagocytosis of both intact and acrosome reacted spermatozoa.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Norwegian Agricultural Research Council (NLVF). The authors thank the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and University of Maryland School of Medicine for providing ovine FSH and LH. We also thank the NRF-Norwegian Cattle Association for providing bull semen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproduction and Forensic Medicine, and Department of Anatomy, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033, Oslo 1, Norway

    A. Krogenœs, K. Andersen Berg, A. L. Hafne & E. Engeland

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  1. A. Krogenœs
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  2. K. Andersen Berg
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  3. A. L. Hafne
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  4. E. Engeland
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Krogenœs, A., Andersen Berg, K., Hafne, A.L. et al. Membrane Alterations in Bull Spermatozoa after Freezing and Thawing and after In Vitro Fertilization. Acta Vet Scand 35, 17–26 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548352

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147