Effect of Light on Motility, Life-Span, and Respiration of Bovine Spermatozoa

Abstract

Exposure to light of bovine spermatozoa suspended in various media results in a progressive decline in metabolic activity followed by the premature death of the cells. The inhibitory and spermicidal effects of visible light resemble a photodynamic action; the photosensitizer is an intrinsic component of the cell.

The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on Ram and Bull Spermatozoa

“…This effect is probably the result of a direct change within the spermatozoon itself brought about by the ultraviolet irradiation. Goldberg (1959, 1961) found that white light caused intracellular damage to spermatozoa and that catalase protected against this damage. In the present studies, catalase afforded similar protection against ultraviolet irradiation of spermatozoa.…”

“…Thus Hamner and Williams (1961) found that incident light increases the rate of oxygen uptake by bull spermatozoa. On the other hand, longer exposure to white light or to wavelengths of 430 and 550 ill", has a deleterious effect on the motility and respiration of bovine spermatozoa (Norman and Goldberg 1959;. This effect is thought to be due to activation of a photosensitive agent within the spermatozoa having a maximum absorption in the blue portion of the visible spectrum.…”

Inhibition of Respiration in Prototheca zopfii by Light

“…Among the prokaryotes visible radiation and near-ultraviolet radiation have been reported to kill or inhibit the growth of the heterotropic bacteria Streptococcus salivarius (4), Escherichia coli (17,19,20) (8,31), the colorless algae Prototheca zopfii (14) and Astasia longa (8), and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (10,15,24,25,34), have also been reported to be inhibited by blue light. Various processes in cells of higher plants and animals have also been reported to be inhibited by blue or near-ultraviolet light, such as cell division (21, 42), respiration (35,33) and motility of sperm (41,28,29).…”

“…Various processes in cells of higher plants and animals have also been reported to be inhibited by blue or near-ultraviolet light, such as cell division (21,42), respiration (35,33) and motility of sperm (41,28,29).…”

“…The air was prefiltered through cotton and humidified before entering the culture medium. The cultures were grown in a constant temperature glass-walled water bath maintained at 28 i+ 0.5 C. Growing cells were irradiated by means of two banks of fluorescent lamps placed on opposite sides of the bath. Each bank consisted of four 40- In anaerobic irradiation experiments, concentrated starved cells were injected with a syringe through a silicon stopper into a 1-cm cuvette containing 5 ml of deoxygenated buffer.…”