Heparin-induced in vitro capacitation changes of swamp buffalo spermatozoa

Authors: DIBYAJYOTI TALUKDAR, KUTUBUDDIN AHMED, SOURABH DEORI, GOPAL CHANDRA DAS

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate heparin-induced in vitro capacitation-associated changes in spermatozoa of swamp buffalo. Therefore, freshly ejaculated and washed spermatozoa of 8 swamp buffalo bulls were capacitated in vitro in TALP medium supplemented with BSA, heparin, and HEPES buffer at a concentration of 6 × 10⁹ spermatozoa/mL at 37 °C for 6 h. Capacitation status of spermatozoa in terms of the hyperactivated motility, acrosome membrane integrity, total hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST), activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and sperm membrane protein (SMP) and cholesterol content were estimated for each ejaculate at 1-h intervals from 0 to 6 h of incubation. The results revealed that the highest hyperactivation of spermatozoa (74.50 ± 1.78%) and live acrosome reaction (56.92 ± 1.88%) was recorded at 4 h of incubation while the total HOST-reacted spermatozoa and SMP and cholesterol levels decreased significantly (P < 0.01) with increasing period of incubation. The AST and ALT activities increased significantly (P < 0.01) as incubation period increased. In conclusion, heparin induces in vitro capacitation changes in swamp buffalo spermatozoa as evidenced by the highest hyperactivation of spermatozoa and live acrosome reaction at 4 h of incubation.

Keywords: Swamp buffalo, spermatozoa, capacitation, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, protein, cholesterol

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