Water Content, Specific Gravity and Concentrations of Electrolytes in Bull Spermatozoa

Abstract

The water content of epididymal bull spermatozoa in media of osmolalities corresponding to those of seminal plasma and to the fluids from the cauda epididymidis was determined by a gravimetricvolumetric method as 0\m=.\586\ m=+-\ 0\m=.\0052and 0\m=.\512\m=+-\0\m=.\0086ml per ml of cells, respectively. It was related to the ionic concentrations in mmol/ litre of spermatozoa determined by the conversion of the mean values of the major cations expressed as mequiv./litre, mg/100 g, or mg/100 ml, established by previous authors. The osmolalities of the intracellular fluids were also calculated. They were compared with the osmolalities of the extracellular fluids, the comparison making it possible to perform an introductory analysis of the osmotic-equilibrium states of bull spermatozoa.The calculated osmolality of the cytosol of epididymal spermatozoa was found to be about 40 mosmol less than that of the epididymal fluids. This discrepancy from the state of osmotic equilibrium is not serious when considering the errors, which are probably inherent in the values of both the ion and water-content determinations. The osmolality of the cytosol of ejaculated spermatozoa was calculated as 1\m=.\7times greater than that established for seminal plasma. If the calculated value is reasonably correct, this should imply that, for the existence of identical concentrations of osmotically active particles on both sides of the cell membrane of spermatozoa suspended in seminal plasma, a fraction of the intracellular ions, amounting to about 38%, must be assumed to be 'bound'.

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

“…The osmolalities of these Ringer solutions are approximately 0-353 osmol, i.e. they are isosmotic with the fluids from the cauda epididymidis (see Drevius, 1972a). The solutions also contained 0-1 % of glucose.…”

“…Bull spermatozoa were obtained from the cauda epididymidis of gonads from slaughtered bulls and collected in NaCl Ringer solution (see below) as in previous studies (Drevius, 1971a(Drevius, , 1972a.…”

“…In recent investigations, the osmotic-equilibrium states of bull spermatozoa have been given a preliminary analysis (Drevius, 1972a) and the osmotic behaviour of the spermatozoa in hypotonie media has been studied (Drevius, 1972b). It was found that the bull spermatozoa from the cauda epididymidis behave as osmometers with values of Ponder's factor R (Ponder, 1940) in the range 0-81 to 0-91.…”

Acquisition of volume regulatory response of sperm upon maturation in the epididymis and the role of the cytoplasmic droplet

“…The situation is far different for spermatozoa, since their volume cannot easily be measured in situ, the osmolality of the surrounding fluid varies with their location in both male and female tracts, and the ability to regulate volume is developed during epididymal transit (see below). Drevius (1972b) considered 353 mmol/kg (the osmolality of cauda epididymidal plasma) to be isotonic medium for bovine cauda epididymidal sperm, whereas Du et al (1994) and Noiles et al (1995) considered 286 -290 mmol/kg "isosmotic" for murine sperm, although far from the osmolality existing within either the epididymis (415 mmol/kg) (Yeung et al, 1999) or uterus (327 mmol/kg: . Drevius (1972a) found that mature bovine sperm were "perfect osmometers" (whose volume varies inversely with osmolality) by calculating the volume of caudal sperm from diameters of their coiled tails.…”

Effect of Cooling, Freezing and Thawing Rates and Storage Conditions on Preservation of Human Spermatozoa

“…This indicates that when human spermatozoa are frozen at about 10" C/min, there is sufficient dehydration at -30" C, so that cryoinjury due to intracellular ice crystal formation is avoided. The low water content and the higher surface to volume ratio of spermatozoa when compared with most mammalian cells (Salisbury and Van Demark -1961;Drevius -1972) may explain this result. The above findings are in contradiction to Mazur's two-factor theory and to the finding in the bull that rapidly frozen semen results in maximal survival when rapidly thawed Rodriquez et al -1975).…”