The effect of hypophysectomy on transepithelial movement of 3H-androgen in the rat epididymis was examined by using in vivo microperifusion of 3H-testosterone followed by in vivo micropuncture to obtain peritubular and intraluminal fluids. Experiments were performed on animals without hypophysectomy or on animals 5-6 days after hypophysectomy and 9-10 days after hypophysectomy. Tubules were per...

The epididymal lumen represents a unique extracellular environment because of the active sperm maturation process that takes place within its confines. Although much focus has been placed on the interaction of epididymal secretory proteins with spermatozoa in the lumen, very little is known regarding how the complex epididymal milieu as a whole is maintained, including mechanisms to prevent or ...

During epididymal transit, spermatozoa acquire new proteins. Some of these newly acquired proteins behave as integral membrane proteins, including glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. This suggests that the secreted epididymal proteins are transferred to spermatozoa by an unusual mechanism. Within the epididymal lumen, spermatozoa interact with small membranous vesicles named e...

INTRODUCTION In this study, we aimed to evaluate the safety of using different sources of sperm when male partners were infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 338 couples receiving their first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle at the Department of Reproduction, Ren Ji Hospital, between 2007 and 2012 were enrolled if the female partner tested negativ...

Polyclonal avian antibody was used partially to characterize the pig sperm lactadherin P47. P47 is a mosaic protein, composed of two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains and two C1/C2 domains. P47 is homologous to the bovine mammary gland protein MGP 53/57 and mouse milk fat globule protein. Expression of P47 along the male genital tract and its localization on spermatozoa during post-tes...

BACKGROUND To investigate antioxidant effects of traditional Chinese Shengjing capsule extracts (sperm-producing capsule, with functions of tonifying kidney and invigorating kidney essence) on testes, epididymides, and sperms of rats. MATERIAL/METHODS We randomly divided 50 rats into 5 groups. G1: normal control group (treated with saline); G2: cadmium chloride group; G3: cadmium chloride+ lo...

to evaluate the effects of calcium on motility patterns of bovine epididymal sperm and to determine the effective calcium concentration, ovine testicles (5 for each experiment day) were picked up in a local slaughterhouse and transported to the laboratory in a cool container (filled wich ice).in laboratory,caudal epididymis was incised and sperm cells were put into petri dishes containing modif...

Although the role of the epididymis, a male accessory sex organ, in sperm maturation has been established for nearly four decades, the maturation process itself has not been linked to a specific molecule of epididymal origin. Here we show that Bin1b, a rat epididymis-specific beta-defensin with antimicrobial activity, can bind to the sperm head in different regions of the epididymis with varied...

Successful fertilization requires gametes to complete several stages, beginning with maturation and transport along the male and female reproductive tracts and ending with the interaction between the sperm and the egg. This last step involves sperm-egg adhesion and membrane fusion. ADAMs (disintegrin and metalloprotease domain proteins) are a family of membrane-anchored glycoproteins that are t...

In this study, we conducted a simultaneous analysis of sperm count and viability in rats by flow cytometry (FCM). Epididymal fluids were taken from the caudal epididymis of 12 to 13 week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The fluids were weighed and mixed with Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (D-PBS). Propidium iodide, which can stain only dead sperm, was used to distinguish viable and dead sperm. Th...