PHYSIOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY SYMPOSIUM: Evidence that oviduct secretions influence sperm function: A retrospective view for livestock1

Abstract

The mammalian oviduct has long been recognized as an organ essential for successful reproduction. Bovine, ovine, porcine, and equine animal models have offered clear advantages for oviduct study related to gamete physiology, fertilization, and early embryonic development. Livestock species are amenable to surgical alteration of the reproductive tract, estrous cycle manipulation, gamete cryopreservation, and AI, as well as in vitro fertilization and embryo production. Although most reproductive technology developed for livestock was intended to benefit production animal agriculture, these techniques are a treasure trove of tools for researchers to better understand how the oviduct influences gamete function. Oviduct secretions obtained from in vitro tissue cultures or via indwelling oviduct catheters have been used for analyses to define the protein, lipid, carbohydrate, enzyme, and electrolyte compositions of the secretions during the estrous cycle or in response to hormone treatment. Oviduct secretions or components purified from them have also been used in in vitro assays to assess their ability to bind to sperm, influence sperm viability, motility, sperm capacitation, the acrosome reaction, sperm-egg binding, and egg penetration, as well as subsequent embryonic development. Compelling data have emerged which show that the composition of secretions differs during the estrous cycle and that their composition differs whether they originate from the ampullary or isthmic regions of the oviduct. These differences in composition are functionally relevant and associated with different responses by sperm. Evidence indicatess that oviduct-specific glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans, carbohydrates, norepinepherine, catecholamines, heat-shock protein, and osteopontin are components of the oviductal milieu that have the capacity to modulate sperm function. Future research on the livestock oviduct will likely define the role that oviduct secretions have in modulating sperm function and how these modifications ultimately affect fertilization and embryo development.

Sperm surface changes and physiological consequences induced by sperm handling and storage

“…In some species, additional factors are included, such as negatively charged polysaccharides (e.g. heparin with bull spermatozoa (Parrish et al 1988)), to further enhance stripping of extracellular sperm coating material, possibly mimicking the surface effects elicited by glycosaminoglycans that are present in oviductal fluids (Parrish et al 1989, Coy et al 2008, Killian 2011.…”

Penicillamine prevents ram sperm agglutination in media that support capacitation

“…Another example is the addition of the highly negatively charged glycosaminoglycan heparin to bovine IVF protocols (Parrish et al 1988). Heparin is thought to enhance fertilisation by facilitating the stripping of extracellular glycoproteins from the sperm surface, possibly mimicking the surface effects elicited by glycosaminoglycans present in oviductal fluids (Parrish et al 1989, Coy et al 2008, Killian 2011.…”

Therapeutic influence of intraperitoneal injection of Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells on oviduct function and fertility in rats with acute and chronic salpingitis

“…At the time of bacterial infection, T-helper lymphocytes and NK cells produce a variety of inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1, 6, 12, 10 and inflammatory cells are recruited to remove bacteria and induce local acute inflammation (Killian, 2011). Columnar epithelium in chronic inflammation was turned into simple squamous epithelium.…”