Cannabinoids, the main active components of marijuana, have been shown to exert different adverse effects on male reproduction both in vertebrates and invertebrates. The main effects of endocannabinoids, a particular group of endogenously produced cannabinoids, in sperm are the inhibition of motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction, all fundamental processes necessary for oocyte penetration...

Phenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which animals can cope with rapidly changeable environments, but the evolutionary lability of such plasticity remains unclear. The socio-sexual environment can fluctuate very rapidly, affecting both the frequency of mating opportunities and the level of competition males may face. Males of many species show plastic behavioural responses to changes in ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the spermatotoxicity of gold nanoparticles. DESIGN Experimental study. SETTING A university in Thailand. PATIENT(S) Single-donor fresh semen sample. INTERVENTION(S) A mixture of gold nanoparticle solution and semen was prepared and further analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Spermatozoa appearance. RESULT(S) After mixing the semen with a gold nanoparticle solutio...

The effects of sauna exposure on sperm movement characteristics and other semen parameters were evaluated using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). A significant (p < 0.01) decrease in average path velocity (VAP), curvilinear velocity (VCL) and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) was found after exposure to sauna for 2 weeks. The altered parameters returned to their original value...

Techniques for fertilizing golden hamster eggs in vitro have recently been developed (4, 14). Consequently, sperm entry into the egg can be followed with the phase-contrast microscope, and after semination eggs can be fixed at desired intervals for subsequent examination with the electron microscope. The probability of obtaining thin sections that demonstrate sperm penetration of an egg is enha...

The influence of selected semen extenders on the motility of frozen-thawed dog spermatozoa has been clearly demonstrated in several studies, although there are no reports indicating the effect of swim-up purification on sperm viability in this species of mammals. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and necrosis in sperm after variable lengths...

We have developed an assay for detecting the acrosome reaction in mouse sperm using chlortetracycline (CTC) as a fluorescent probe . Sperm known to be intact with nonreacted acrosomes show CTC fluorescence in the presence of Ca" over the anterior portion of the sperm head on the plasma membrane covering the acrosome . Sperm which have undergone the acrosome reaction do not show fluorescence on ...

BACKGROUND Anogenital distance (AGD), a sexually dimorphic measure of genital development, is a marker for endocrine disruption in animal studies and may be shorter in infant males with genital anomalies. Given the correlation between anogenital distance and genital development, we sought to determine if anogenital distance varied in fertile compared to infertile adult men. METHODS A cross se...

This work was designed to study how this ability is affected by different sperm treatments routinely used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) assay. In this study, boar sperm samples from epididymal or ejaculated origin were processed by three different methods: left unwashed (NW group), washed in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline supplemented with 0.1% BSA (BSA group), and washed on a Percoll(...