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Effects of relaxin and IGF-I on capacitation, acrosome reaction, cholesterol efflux and utilization of labeled and unlabeled glucose in porcine spermatozoa

  • Original Article
  • Andrology
  • Published:
Reproductive Medicine and Biology

Abstract

Aim

Relaxin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I have pronounced effects on the male and female reproductive tracts. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of relaxin and IGF-I on the motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, cholesterol efflux and utilization of glucose in porcine spermatozoa.

Methods

Swim-up separated spermatozoa that had been washed twice were incubated at 37°C for 1 or 4 h in modified Tyrode’s albumin lactate pyruvate (mTALP) medium supplemented without (control) or with relaxin (20 ng/mL) or IGF-I (20 ng/mL) or both (10 + 10 ng/mL).

Results

Progressive motility and the induction rate of capacitation and acrosome reaction were increased (P < 0.05) by relaxin and IGF-I alone or in combination, especially after 4 h of incubation. Relaxin alone or combined with IGF-I enhanced (P < 0.05) the cholesterol efflux after 4 h, whereas IGF-I alone did not show any significant effect on the cholesterol efflux compared with the control at any time point. The utilization rates of labeled and unlabeled glucose increased (P < 0.05) in spermatozoa incubated with relaxin or IGF-I alone or in combination compared with the control.

Conclusion

Thus, supplementation of relaxin alone or combined with IGF-I into the medium possibly plays a beneficial role in porcine spermatozoal prefertilization events in vitro.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Nagano

    Abdul Gaffar Miah, Ummay Salma, Yuji Takagi, Ko-ichi Hamano & Hirotada Tsujii

  2. Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan

    Tetsuya Kohsaka

Authors
  1. Abdul Gaffar Miah
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  2. Ummay Salma
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  3. Yuji Takagi
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  4. Tetsuya Kohsaka
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  6. Hirotada Tsujii
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Correspondence to Abdul Gaffar Miah.

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Miah, A.G., Salma, U., Takagi, Y. et al. Effects of relaxin and IGF-I on capacitation, acrosome reaction, cholesterol efflux and utilization of labeled and unlabeled glucose in porcine spermatozoa. Reprod Med Biol 7, 29–36 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0578.2007.00198.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0578.2007.00198.x

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