Do antimicrobial peptides PR-39, PMAP-36 and PMAP-37 have any effect on bacterial growth and quality of liquid-stored boar semen?

The use of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) has become one of the most promising alternatives to the use of antibiotics (Abs) in semen extender's formulation to overcome the increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics. However, AMP may impair boar sperm quality, so that their deleterious effects might be higher than their effectiveness against bacteria. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether three different AMP, the proline-arginine-rich antimicrobial peptide PR-39 (PR-39), and the porcine myeloid antimicrobial peptides 36 (PMAP-36) and 37 (PMAP-37) had any effect upon boar sperm quality and bacterial growth.

A comparative study of the effects of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens upon boar semen preserved in liquid storage.

The present study compares the sperm quality of boar seminal doses artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens, and maintained in liquid storage at 15°C for a 9-day period. Seminal doses from 10 sexually mature Piétrain boars were diluted in a Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS)-based extender and infected either with E. coli or C.

Effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on sperm capacitation and protein phosphorylation of boar spermatozoa.

Several studies have reported the detrimental effects that bacteriospermia causes on boar sperm quality, but little is known about its effects on IVC. Considering that, the present study sought to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on different indicators of capacitation status (sperm viability, membrane lipid disorder, sperm motility kinematics, and protein phosphorylation of boar spermatozoa) after IVC. Flow cytometry and computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) revealed that the presence of P aeruginosa in boar sperm samples, mostly at concentrations greater than 10(6) CFU/mL, is associated with a significant (P < 0.

Effects of different concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on boar sperm quality.

Bacteriospermia in boar ejaculates is a frequent finding that compromises the sperm quality and, consequently, causes economic losses in swine industry. The present study sought to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on boar sperm quality over a storing period of 11 days at 15-17 ° C. Ten commercial seminal doses coming from post-pubertal and healthy boars were artificially inoculated with different infective concentrations of P.

Effects of Enterobacter cloacae on boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17°C.

Contamination of fresh and extended boar sperm often occurs in farms and artificial insemination (AI) centres during semen collection, processing and storage. The presence of bacteria produces detrimental effects on boar sperm quality, which may cause economic losses in reproductive centres. The present study has evaluated for the first time how the presence of Enterobacter cloacae affects the preservation of boar spermatozoa in liquid storage at 15-17 °C for an 11-day period.

Energy substrate influences the effect of the timing of the first embryonic cleavage on the development of in vitro-produced porcine embryos in a sex-related manner.

In vitro culture conditions and certain events during the earliest stages of development are linked to embryonic survival, possibly in a sex-related manner. In vitro-produced (IVP) porcine embryos cultured with glucose (IVC-Glu) or pyruvate-lactate (IVC-PL) were tested for any relationship between the timing of the first embryonic cleavage and development and sex ratio. The embryos were assigned to IVC-Glu or IVC-PL groups and classified depending on the timing of their first cleavage: 24, 26, 30, and 48 hr post-insemination (hpi).

How do different concentrations of Clostridium perfringens affect the quality of extended boar spermatozoa?

Bacteriospermia in boar fresh and extended semen is a frequent finding that produces alterations on sperm quality and, consequently, causes economic losses in artificial insemination (AI) centres. The present study sought to evaluate the effect of different infective concentrations of Clostridium perfringens on boar sperm quality, assessed as sperm motility (CASA), morphology and viability, through 11 days of storage at 15°C (experiment 1), and after 96h of incubation at 37°C (experiment 2). With this purpose, different seminal doses were artificially inoculated with different infective concentrations of C.

Embryo development and sex ratio of in vitro-produced porcine embryos are affected by the energy substrate and hyaluronic acid added to the culture medium.

In the present study, the effects of replacing glucose with pyruvate-lactate and supplementing these in vitro culture (IVC) media with hyaluronic acid (HA) on porcine embryo development and sex ratio were examined. The in vitro-produced (IVP) porcine embryos were cultured in NCSU-23 medium with 0.0, 0.

Sex determination of porcine embryos using a new developed duplex polymerase chain reaction procedure based on the amplification of repetitive sequences.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays have become increasingly prevalent for sexing embryos. The aim of the present study was to develop a suitable duplex PCR procedure based on the amplification of porcine repetitive sequences for sexing porcine tissues, embryos and single cells. Primers were designed targeting the X12696 Y chromosome-specific repeat sequence (SUSYa and SUSYb; sex-related primer sets), the multicopy porcine-specific mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene (SUS12S; control primer set) and the X51555 1 chromosome repeat sequence (SUS1; control primer set).

Antigenic subtyping and epitopes' competition analysis of porcine circovirus type 2 using monoclonal antibodies.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) strains have been classified into two major genotypes (PCV2a and PCV2b) and 8 genetic clusters: PCV2b-1A to PCV2b-1C and PCV2a-2A to PCV2a-2E. To date, no studies have been performed to antigenically subtype PCV2 strains enclosing eight PCV2 clusters. The present study aimed to antigenically subtype PCV2 and perform epitopes' competition analysis using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

The osmotic tolerance of boar spermatozoa and its usefulness as sperm quality parameter.

Predicting the fertility outcome of ejaculates is very important in the field of porcine reproduction. The aims of this study were to determine the effects of different osmotic treatments on boar spermatozoa and to correlate them with fertility and prolificacy, assessed as non-return rates within 60 days (NRR(60d)) of the first inseminations, and litter size (LS), respectively. Sperm samples (n=100) from one hundred healthy Piétrain boars were used to assess 48 treatments combining different osmolalities (ranged between 100 and 4000 mOsm kg(-1)), different compounds used to prepare anisotonic solutions, and two different modalities: return and non-return to isotonic conditions.

Development of a protocol for multiple staining with fluorochromes to assess the functional status of boar spermatozoa.

The aim of this study was to design a simple and reliable method for the simultaneous evaluation of the nucleus, the acrosome, and the mitochondrial sheath of boar spermatozoa. Sperm samples coming from healthy and sexually mature Pietrain boars were incubated with two nuclear fluorochromes--bis-benzamide specific for viable cells, and propidium iodide specific for nonviable cells--the fluorochrome Mitotracker Green FM specific for functional mitochondria, and the lectin Trypsin inhibitor from Soybean (SBTI) conjugated with the fluorochrome Alexa Fluor 488 specific for proacrosin. The results obtained from assessing the functional status of the spermatozoa using fluorochromes were compared with the conventional sperm parameters of sperm vitality using the eosin exclusion test (EE test), and sperm motility and morphology using the computer-assisted semen analyzer SCA 2002Producció.

Effects of a high semen-collection frequency on the quality of sperm from ejaculates and from six epididymal regions in boars.

This study examines the effect of semen-collection rhythm on the sperm maturation process in boar epididymis. Three post-pubertal boars were submitted to a high semen-collection frequency (stressed boars) during 4 days, and three males were kept as a control group (control boars). Semen samples coming from six epididymal regions and from the ejaculate of each male were evaluated for sperm concentration, sperm vitality, sperm motility and sperm morphology.

In vitro culture of epithelial cells from the caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis of Sus domesticus.

This work describes a protocol to culture epididymal epithelial cells from the caput, corpus, and cauda regions of Sus domesticus. Epididymal epithelial fragments were obtained by dissection and enzymatic digestion with collagenase. About 30 epididymal fragments from each epididymal region were cultured in 24-well culture plates with supplemented RPMI-1640 medium at 37 degrees C, 5% CO2 in air, and 100% humidity.