background: exposure to arsenic is associated with impairment of male reproductive function by inducing oxidative stress. silymarin with an antioxidant property scavenges free radicals. objective: the aim of this study was to investigate if silymarin can prevent the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on ram sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity. materials and methods: ram epidydimal sper...

OBJECTIVE To explore the functional role of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in the pH regulation of epididymal fluid and its effect on sperm motility. DESIGN Experimental study. SETTING Physiology laboratory in a university. ANIMAL(S) Immature male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTION(S) The H(+)-ATPase inhibitor was applied to the primary culture of epididymal cells. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The in...

Caffeine is a well-known sperm motility stimulator, however, its effects on cooling-stored ram semen are unknown. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of caffeine on selected motility and viability indices of cooling-stored ram spermatozoa. Sperm ejaculates from 4 rams were diluted (1:3) in a Triladyl extender. Samples were stored for 96 h at 4-5 °C in two sets. In the first set used ...

The cholesterol content of the sperm membrane is regulated during both maturation in the epididymis and capacitation in the female tract, two processes required for the spermatozoa to acquire their fertilising ability. Because Niemann-Pick disease, type C2 (NPC2) protein is one of the most abundant components of the epididymal fluid and contains a functional cholesterol-binding site that can tr...

Although spermatozoa are formed during spermatogenesis in the testis, testicular spermatozoa are immature and cannot swim or fertilize. These critical spermatozoal functions are acquired in the epididymis where a specific luminal environment is created by the blood-epididymal barrier; proteins secreted by epididymal principal cells bind to maturing spermatozoa and regulate the maturational proc...

AIM The study was conducted to evaluate the pathological effects of trypanosomosis on the testes, gonadal, and epididymal sperm reserves of Yankasa rams for 98 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 16 Yankasa rams, aged between 24 and 30 months and weighed between 22 and 25 kg, were acclimatized for a period of 2-months in a clean fly proof house and were adequately fed and given water ad-li...

Background: Ram sperm have a higher polyunsaturated fatty acids and a lower cholesterol/phospholipid ratio than other species which renders the sperm much more vulnerable to oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidative stress can affects the integrity of cells at both the structural and sub structural levels. Therefore, a suitable antioxidant may prevent cryo-injuries and...

Chlorpirifos (CPF) is a widely used organophosphate insecticide for both agricultural and domestic purposes with attendant human exposures. Many authors have documented the toxic effects of CPF on the central nervous system. This study was designed to study the effect of CPF and the influence of coadministration of ascorbic acid (AA) on the testicular functions of albino rats. Twenty five 2 mon...

This study was carried out to determine if exposure to hot environmental temperatures had a direct, detrimental effect on sperm quality. For this the effect of whole-body heat exposure on epididymal spermatozoa of laboratory mice was investigated. C57BL/6 mice (n = 7) were housed in a microclimate chamber at 37 degrees C-38 degrees C for 8 h per day for three consecutive days, while control mic...

Recently we reported that mouse germ cells in the testis contain active P450 aromatase (P450arom), the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens. This finding suggested that germ cells have the ability to produce estrogen. Further studies have shown that germ cells in the testis of several species contain P450arom. The goal of this study was to determine if epididymal sperm contain P450arom a...