Detection of haptoglobin in seminal plasma of Awassi rams and the relation with its level in serum and some semen parameters.

The study was conducted to detect haptoglobin in seminal plasma (SP-Hp) of Awassi rams and the effect of the breeding season on its concentration, along with determining the correlation with its concentration in serum (S-Hp) and main semen variables. Pre-warmed artificial vagina was used to collect semen samples biweekly from five Awassi rams. Semen samples were evaluated for volume, concentration and sperm motility. Blood samples were collected 10-30 min after semen collection. The concentration of serum and seminal plasma Hp was determined using ELISA. The mean ± SESP-Hp concentrations ranged from 0.25 ± 0.05 to 0.81 ± 0.44 µg/ml, whereas those of S-Hp-ranged from 0.99 ± 0.29 to 2.99 ± 0.18 mg/ml. There was a significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation (r = 0.329) between SP-Hp and S-Hp concentrations. Both SP-Hp and S-Hp concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in winter as compared with the other seasons. The concentrations of SP-Hp and S-Hp during the breeding season were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than those of the out season period. SP-Hp concentration negatively correlated with semen volume and sperm concentration (r = -0.164 and -0.121), whereas sperm concentration positively correlated with individual sperm motility (r = 0.100). No significant correlation was detected between SP-Hp and semen parameters. It can be concluded that, Hp is present in ram seminal plasma and its concentration was about 2000 folds lower than that of the serum, and Hp concentration was lower during the breeding season, but its concentration in seminal plasma has no significant correlation with semen parameters.

Haptoglobin baseline value in jennies and the effect of ovariectomy on its serum concentration.

The study was conducted to determine the baseline concentration of serum haptoglobin (Hp) in jennies during the breeding and nonbreeding season and to evaluate the effects of ovariectomy on serum Hp concentrations in jennies. Eighteen adult jennies were divided in three groups: nine jennies (OVA) were ovariectomized using laparoscopic surgery, six jennies (LAP) were exploratory examined by laparoscopic surgery, and three jennies were used as a control group. Blood samples were collected from the animals at Day -6, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 5, 8, 15, 22, 29 and 36 of surgery. Serum samples were analyzed by an ELISA specifically developed for determining equine Hp. The mean weekly Hp concentration ranged between 149.76 ± 7.55 and 178.94 ± 6.67 mg/L. The Hp concentrations of clinically healthy jennies revealed no significant variation among time, and there was no effect of reproductive season on Hp concentrations in jennies. Serum Hp concentration was elevated at the first day after operations in the OVA and LAP group. Five days after the operation, the Hp concentration reached the maximum in the LAP and OVA group (278.84 ± 34.22 and 359.88 ± 35.45 mg/L, respectively) and decreased at Day 8 after the operations. On Day 22, 29 and 32 after the operations, the concentration of Hp in LAP and OVA animals was close to its concentration in the control group. In conclusion, Hp is not related to reproductive status of jennies and it can be used as an indicator for cell and tissue damage after surgical operations.

Effects of two homeopathic complexes on bovine sperm mitochondrial activity.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two homeopathic complexes Ubichinon compositum® (Ubi comp) and Coenzyme compositum ad us. vet.® (CoQ10 comp) on bovine sperm mitochondrial activity. METHODS: Sperm viability, acrosomal integrity and sperm chromatin structure were estimated to detect the possible side effect of complexes on other sperm parameters. RESULTS: Mitochondrial activity was significantly enhanced by both Ubi comp (P<0.01) and CoQ10 comp (P<0.05). No effects were detected in other tested sperm parameters. CONCLUSION: The tested homeopathic complex medicines stimulate the mitochondrial activity of bovine sperm without effects on their viability, acrosomal integrity or chromatin structure. The possibility that this translates into improved fertilization capacity in artificial insemination should investigated.