Proteomic approaches have been widely used in reproductive studies to uncover protein biomarkers of bull fertility. Seminal plasma is one of the most relevant sources of these proteins that may influence sperm physiology. Nonetheless, there are still gaps in existing knowledge in the functional attributes of seminal proteins. Thus, we reviewed the relationships between seminal plasma proteins and bull fertility by conducting a systematic review with data obtained from 71 studies. This review showed that the associations between fertility improvement with the use of total seminal plasma proteins are still controversial. None of the studies explored the sperm fertilizing ability following these interactions. By contrast, the exposure to a single protein, such as osteopontin, binder of sperm proteins, and heparin binding proteins, can increment sperm motility, capacitation, and fertilizing ability by modulating intracellular calcium concentrations, removing lipids from sperm membranes, and regulating the acrosome reaction. Variations in protein analyses and the protein contents and their abundances between animals contributed to the difficulty of establishing protein biomarkers of fertilizing potential of the bull sperm. Indeed, the heterogenicity of methodologies was a limitation of this review. Standardized methods of seminal protein analyses, as well as sperm endpoints, may minimize such discrepancies. In conclusion, potential biomarkers of sperm parameters are still to be established. Future studies should evaluate protein isoforms and how they interact with sperm to ascertain their biological functions.

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Bioactive materials in combination with antibiotics have been widely developed for the treatment of bone infection. Thus, this work aims to characterize six biomaterials formulated with different concentrations of hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles, in addition to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the antibiotic diffusion test on agar. Furthermore, in vivo biocompatibility and the reabsorption process of these materials were analyzed. XRD showed that both hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite present high crystallinity. The photomicrographs obtained by SEM revealed that composites have a complex surface, evidenced by the irregular arrangement of the hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite granules, besides demonstrating the interaction between their components. The antibiotic-diffusion test showed that all biomaterials produced an inhibition halo in Staphylococcus aureus cultures. For the biocompatibility study, composites were surgically implanted in the dorsal region of rabbits. At 15, 30, 70, and 100 days, biopsies of the implanted regions were performed. The biomaterials were easily identified during histological analysis and no significant inflammatory process, nor histological signs of toxicity or rejection by the adjacent tissue were observed. We can conclude that the biomaterials analyzed are biocompatible, degradable, and effective in inhibiting the in vitro growth of Staphylococcus aureus.

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