Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.24099/vet.arhiv.0210

Vitamin D as an important constituent of epididymal luminal micro-environment for maturation of spermatozoa in Large White Yorkshire boar

Somraj Chattaraj ; Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, WB, India
Siddhartha Basu ; Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, WB, India
Kalyani Ray ; Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, WB, India
Dhiman S. Pal ; Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohonpur, WB, India

Abstract

Vitamin-D (VD) is known to modulate reproductive processes through the expression of VDR in the male reproductive tract. To understand its influence in the initiation of sperm motility in epididymis, VD concentration was measured in serum, epididymal luminal fluid (ELF) and sperm cytosolic fluid (SCF) from the caput, corpus and cauda epididymis of Large White Yorkshire (LWY) boars (n = 30) of around 3-4 years of age. The relationship of VD concentration with sperm motility in epididymal segments was then observed. A progressive increase in sperm motility from caput to cauda epididymis was found with highest in cauda followed by corpus. Motility was found absent in the caput region. VD levels in serum were positively correlated with spermatozoan motility from the corpus (r = 0.819) and cauda (r = 0.961), and this was highly significant (P<0.01). Again, ELF and SCF VD levels exhibited a positive correlation with that of sperm motility in the corpus and cauda in the respective segments of the epididymis, and this was highly significant (P<0.01). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed VDR gene expression in epididymal segments and in sperm from the cauda epididymis in an LWY boar. The increase in amounts of VDR transcript (non-significant at P>0.05) from sections of caput to cauda epididymis was in concurrence with the increasing concentration of VD from the caput to cauda epididymis suggesting the influence of VD in the initiation of sperm motility in the excurrent duct. VD levels in serum may also pave the way for the development of specific marker(s) to assist in the prediction and early diagnosis of idiopathic infertility in males due to epididymal dysfunction resulting from VD deficiency. This will help clinically in improving treatment modalities of this idiopathic male infertility.

Keywords

Vitamin-D; epididymal luminal fluid; sperm cytosolic fluid; sperm motility; Semi-quantitative RT-PCR; VDR gene

Hrčak ID:

219935

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/219935

Publication date:

15.4.2019.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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