Osmotic swelling of mammalian spermatozoa

The Permeability of Bull Spermatozoa to Water, Polyhydric Alcohols and Univalent Anions and the Effects of the Anions Upon the Kinetic Activity of Spermatozoa and Sperm Models

“…However, when occurring, it was of low speed and short duration and was commonly associated with the two-dimensional, non-progressive flagellation described by Bishop & Hoffman-Berling (1959 Proton-resonance studies performed on red cells and bull spermatozoa sus¬ pended in D20-containing saline failed to establish an exchange of water across the sperm-cell membrane (Odeblad, 1957 Rothschild, 1962;Mann, 1964), but is in conflict with the results of Kölliker (1856), Drevius & Eriksson (1966), Drevius (1968Drevius ( , 1972, and . In fact, the osmotic permeability coefficient of bull spermatozoa for water, 234 IO-4 cm sec-1, is greater than that of other cells investigated (Drevius, 1971b).…”

“…When the membrane ruptures, the tight coil of the compressed motor apparatus is abruptly widened and the apparatus takes on a configuration which may vary from slightly curved to sinuous (cf. Drevius & Eriksson, 1966 The sperm cell membrane has its greatest curvature in the cytoplasmic droplet region, which is either located at the distal part of the mid-piece (Text- fig. 1 A) or at the tail tip (Text- fig.…”

Fertilizing capacity and morphology of fowl and turkey spermatozoa in hypotonic extender

“…Although gross anomalies such as bent spermatozoa (also called crook-neck (Saeki, 1960) and neck-bending (Yamane, Tsukunaga & Takahashi, 1966;Van Wambeke, 1977) spermatozoa), tail coiling, and mitochondrial swelling are discernible with bright-field light microscopy, plasmalemma integrity is difficult if not impossible to discern. Drevius & Ericksson (1966) devised a method whereby plasmalemma integrity could be determined by phase-contrast microscopy: bovine spermatozoa were placed in a hypotonie medium with a refractive index greater than that of the sperm cytosol and areas of plasmalemma distension resulting from the osmotic uptake of water were visualized. Such areas appeared as bright spots or halos and were only seen with spermatozoa that had an intact plasmalemma.…”

Membrane hyperpolarization removes inactivation of Ca 2+ channels, leading to Ca 2+ influx and subsequent initiation of sperm motility in the common carp

“…Moreover, Morisawa and Suzuki have found another unique osmolalitydependent regulation of cell function in sperm cells (2), although the harmful effect of hyper-and hypoosmolality has long been known (1,3). Spermatozoa that are quiescent in electrolyte or nonelectrolyte solutions isotonic to the seminal plasma become motile when the sperm are diluted with hypotonic solution in freshwater teleosts (2,4), including the common carp (4)(5).…”