Sperm cryopreservation is a great challenge, since many sperm are irreversibly damaged or present altered functionality after the whole process. Although components of extenders for sperm cryopreservation are quite similar between species, sperm from each of the species present peculiarities that force researchers to optimize the extenders and protocols for each particular species. In this revi...

background: lectins the multivalent carbohydrate binding proteins are also employed to ascertain differentiation and characterization of the specific cell surface carbohydrate ligands/ receptors of different cell types including spermatozoa and posses novel biomedical importance. objective: sf50 the sialic acid specific lectin was employed on goat cauda epididymal spermatozoa to investigate its...

An improvement in avian semen cryopreservation is essential and has the potential to improve the cryo-gene banking efficiency. This study compared two cryopreservation methods (slow freezing and vitrification) and the effect of different thawing/warming temperatures (5 ̊C, 25 ̊C and 41 ̊C) on Venda cockerel’s spermatozoa. Semen samples from Venda cockerels were diluted with modified Kobidil extend...

OBJECTIVES Capacitation and acrosome reaction are prerequisites for fertilization. However, in vitro capacitation is not necessary for an agonist-induced acrosome reaction. We studied whether in vitro capacitation is important in spontaneous acrosome reaction and analyzed how capacitation before cryopreservation influences the acrosomal status of thawed spermatozoa. METHODS Semen specimens fr...

Fertility of frozen-thawed bull sperm is reduced by cryopreservation. Freezing-thawing procedures can result in as much as a sevenfold fertility decrease. Sperm mortality and loss of motility do not fully explain the reduced fertility of cryopreserved semen; they may be partially explained by the loss of sperm surface proteins, which are necessary for fertilization. We have previously identifie...

Two glycoconjugates bearing different DNA tags are mixed in solution with lectins; both interact with their specific lectin and the resulting complexes are sorted, according to their DNA sequences, at the surface of micro-reactors bearing the immobilised complementary DNA sequences.

Successful cryopreservation for human spermatozoa markedly influences the reproductive outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies. But in spite of its usefulness, cryopreservation significantly decreases sperm quality. l-carnitine has been found to improve the quality of spermatozoa in selected cases with male infertility. Here, we examined the efficacy of l-carnitine in improving sperm mot...

Using lectin histochemistry, we have previously shown that there are alterations in the distribution of glycoconjugates in the tail bud of chick embryos that parallel the developmental sequence of the caudal axis. If glycoconjugates or the cells bearing them play a role in caudal axial development, then, restriction of their availability by binding with lectins would be expected to produce abno...