background: ubiquitin, an 8.5 kda peptide that marks other proteins for proteasomal degradation, tags defective sperm dur­ing epididymal passage. thus, sperm ubiquitination is a universal marker for sperm defects and can be used as a sperm func­tion test. the objective of the present study was to examine the relationships between sperm ubiquiti­nation and clinical se­men parameters, using simpl...

Background: Artificial insemination (AI) has been used for increasing genetic potential of animals in production while application of AI has been restricted in buffalo due to low freezing ability and fertility of frozen-thawed buffalo spermatozoa. So improvement in buffalo sperm cryopreservation may enhance the breeding programs of this valuable farm animal. Semen processing is one of the major...

Probiotics have been proposed as alternatives to pharmacological products in several medical conditions including the modulation of obesity, which is frequently associated with poor semen quality. However, effects of probiotics on male fertility have been less investigated. This study assessed the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus PB01 (DSM-14870) on sperm kinematic parameters in Normal-weight ...

Background: A number of studies have demonstrated membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) as one of the causes of defective sperm function in liquid semen preserved at 4◦C and cryopreserved semen. Some attempt has been made to preserve sperm parameters, particularly sperm motility, by adding some elements and Materials to the semen before freezing. Materials and Methods: To investigate effects of cop...

Background: Obesity and increased body mass index (BMI) affect the reproductive parameters in men such as poor semen quality, decreased sperm concentration, decreased normal-motile sperm cells and increased DNA fragmentation index. Lipid peroxidation contributes to the damage of the sperm plasma membrane. The Curcuma Longa is a resource of antioxidants, hence in this study also was evaluated th...

AIM To study whether additional measurements of motility characteristics of spermatozoa by computer assisted semen analysis (CASA) were more sensitive indicators of reduced semen quality than estimates of percentages of motile, rapid or progressive cells. METHODS Intermittent scrotal insulation was applied to 6 rams for 16 h per day for 21 days or to 2 of these for 12 h per day for 28 days in...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is one of the important cytokines that play a role in fertility. It is known that EGF affects both male and female reproduction, but its effect on sperm parameters is not fully understood. Up to the present, the effect of EGF on ram sperm motility parameters has not been published. We analyzed motility parameters of ejaculates after 24, 48, and 72 hours from the EG...

Background: Varicocele occurs in approximately 15% to 20% of the male population and it is the most common cause of poor semen parameters. It has been demonstrated that patients with varicocele have poor chromatin packing, DNA damage and nuclear anomalies than the healthy men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate sperm chromatin integrity and semen parameters in these patients after...

BACKGROUND Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), a channel protein, exists in the outer mitochondrial membrane of somatic cells and is involved in multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes. Up until now, little has been known about VDAC in male germ cells. In the present study, the relationship between VDAC and human sperm motility was explored. METHODS Highly motile human spe...

The objectives of the present study were to develop an alternative theoretical approach to the analysis of sperm motility and to develop motility parameters that would complement those more commonly used in current computer-assisted semen analysis procedures. We have defined a set of parameters and have tested them using boar spermatozoa undergoing bicarbonate-induced motility activation. ...