Morphology, morphometry, and membrane integrity of epididymal spermatozoa of spotted pacas (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus 1766)

Abstract

Morphology, morphometry, and membrane integrity of epididymal spermatozoa of spotted pacas (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus 1766)Morfologia, morfometria e integridade da membrana de espermatozoides epididimários de paca (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus 1766) Highlights: Majority (73%) of the epididymal spermatozoa of Cuniculus paca were normal. Proximal cytoplasmic droplet was the second most frequent defect found. Both ACP-123 ® and Botusemen Special ® were efficient extenders. Intra-acrosomal vesicles were observed in the sperm head. AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate the morphology, morphometry, and membrane integrity of epididymal spermatozoa of spotted pacas using spermatic cells collected from the epididymal tails of five animals. The flotation method using the ACP-123 ® and Botusemen Special ® extenders was performed, and samples were stained in Diff-Quick and eosin-nigrosine. Descriptive statistics of data were obtained and Student's t-test was performed. The morphology of 200 Diff-Quick-stained spermatozoa showed that they had an oval head with three vesicles in the acrosomal region, a midpiece, an elongated tail; moreover, 27% of the spermatozoa exhibited cellular defects. The morphometry of 100 sperm cells (analyzed with an optical microscope and the EZ Leica LAS software for Windows) presented the following measurements (mean ± SD): total length 43.87 ± 4.91 μm, head 7.54 ± 0.82 μm, midpiece 5.35 ± 0.83 μm, tail 30.72 ± 2.55 μm, and head width 5.30 ± 0.68 μm. Of the 2,000 cells stained with eosin-nigrosine for membrane integrity evaluation, 83.8% diluted in ACP-123 ® and 72.9% diluted in Botusemen ® had intact membranes. The results of this study suggest that epididymal spermatozoa of pacas can be used in assisted reproduction programs; moreover, our study adds knowledge to the reproductive biology of wild animals, and encourages further research on the role of the three acrosomal vesicles present in this species. ResumoCom o objetivo de avaliar a morfologia, a morfometria e a integridade de membrana dos espermatozoides epididimários de paca, células espermáticas oriundas da cauda do epidídimo foram obtidas de cinco animais pelo método de flutuação, utilizando os diluidores ACP-123 ® e Botusemen Special ® , coradas em Panótico rápido e Eosina-Nigrosina. Os dados foram analisados por estatística descritiva e teste t de Student. A morfologia de 200 espermatozoides corados em Panótico rápido evidenciou que os mesmos possuíam: cabeça ovalada com três vesículas na região acrossomal, peça intermediária, cauda alongada, sendo os defeitos celulares de 27%. A morfometria de 100 células espermáticas (efetuada com microscópio óptico e softwares EZ Leica LAS de aquisição de imagens para sistemas operacionais Windows) apresentou as seguintes medidas (média ± d.p): comprimento total 43,87 ± 4,91 µm, cabeça 7,54 ± 0,82 µm, peça intermediária 5,35 ± 0,83 µm, cauda 30,72 ± 2,55 µm e largura da cabeça 5,30 ± 0,68 µm. Das 2.000 células coradas em Eosina-Nigrosina para avaliação da integridade da membrana, 83,8 % das ...

Reproductive Technologies Used in Male Neo-Tropical Hystricomorphic Rodents

“…Basal cells were elongated, with an elongated nucleus, notched nuclear envelope and a scant amount of cytoplasmic organelles. There was a predomination of euchromatin in the nuclear matrix as well [ 57 ].…”

“…They used powdered coconut water (ACP-123) and Botusemen special ® as the extenders for flotation and found that there were no differences in sperm abnormality rates between both extenders, and both preserved the cell membranes. However, ACP-123 preserved 83.8% of viable spermatozoa compared with the Botusemen special ® , which preserved 72.9% [ 57 ].…”

“…Agoutis and pacas were considered to be medium-sized rodents, weighing between 2.1–2.8 kg and 5.0–9.0 kg, respectively [ 16 , 31 , 57 , 64 ]. The capybara, the largest rodent in the world, weighed between 45.0 and 62.0 kg [ 40 , 44 , 46 ].…”