BACKGROUND Our previous studies have demonstrated the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is important for capacitation and male fertility in mouse and guinea pig spermatozoa. However, the exact function of CFTR on human sperm fertilizing capacity, and correlation with sperm quality has not been established. The present study may shed light on some unexplained male infert...

Background: The fertilizing sperm potential is directly related to its mitochondria activity evaluated by measuring the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). The objectives of the present study were to investigate the vitality and mitochondrial membrane potential of sperm in infertile men by the and to assess the correlations between sperm parameters and the level of sperm mitochondrial membr...

N(2)O, CH(4), and CO(2) are potential greenhouse gas (GHG) contributing to climate change; therefore, solutions have to be sought to reduce their emission from agriculture. This work evaluates GHG emission from grasslands submitted to different mineral fertilizers during vegetation period (June-September) in two experimental sites, namely, seminatural grassland (8 treatments of mineral fertiliz...

The use of artificial insemination (AI) in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is limited by poor ovarian activity during the hot season, seasonal qualitative patterns in semen, low resistance of sperm cells in the female tract, difficulties in estrus detection, and variable estrus duration. Although AI procedures are commonly used in bovine, use of AI has been limited in buffalo. In the zootechnical fie...

The presence of white blood cells in semen has been associated with male infertility. Previous studies indicate that pyospermia occurs in conjunction with decreases in sperm motility, number of normal sperm forms, and penetration rates in the zona-free hamster egg sperm penetration assay. We have evaluated the relationship of seminal white blood cells and sperm function, as reflected in the zon...

The prediction of sperm fertilizing ability has great economic importance for breeding herds when artificial insemination is used. Classical methods of semen evaluation generally measure the sperm concentration, progressive motility, percentage of viable cells, and acrosome morphology. These assays are poor in predicting sperm fertility, because only the samples with markedly poor quality can b...

Fertilization promoting peptide (FPP; pGlu-Glu-ProNH2), a tripeptide structurally related to thyrotrophin releasing hormone, is produced by the prostate gland and released into seminal plasma. Recent studies carried out in vitro have revealed that FPP elicits biologically important responses in both mouse and human spermatozoa. In the presence of physiological concentrations of FPP (50-100 nmol...

Recent advances in many areas of reproductive technology, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and other forms of assisted fertilization, have been rapid. In many respects, these advances have outstripped our knowledge of the fundamental processes of human and animal sperm–egg interactions at fertilization. One of the major unresolved issues is the identity of the complementary molec...