Lipid changes during in vitro capacitation of the buffalo spermatozoa

Abstract

The frozen straws of buffalo semen were procured and thawed at 37°C in a water bath. A known amount of the washed spermatozoa was aseptically mixed with spenn-Talp, a modified Tyroid's medium containing heparin and incubated at 30°C for 2 hr wjth 5% carbon dioxide. The motility (%), live count (%), acrosomal integrity (%), total lipid (mg%), cholesterol (mg%) and phospholipid (mg%) of the spermatozoa were determined before and after capacitation. The sperm motility was reduced to a typical stationary, circular and hyperactivity of the tail after capacitation leading to the acrosomal reaction. There was a significant (P<0.01) fall in the total lipid (53.50%), cholesterol (63.57%) and phospholipid (76.2%) of the spermatozoa after capacitation. Alteration in the cholesterol and phospholipid was evident, however, cholesterol appeared to be conspicuously changing during in vitro capacitation and acrosomal reaction of the buffalo spermatozoa.