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Query: UMLS:C0016382 (flushing)
 6,387 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Spermatozoa were collected from the rete testis of conscious boars, from the cauda epididymidis by retro-flushing, and by ejaculation. Testicular spermatozoa showed no progressive motility, and that of ejaculated was greater than that of epididymal spermatozoa. Glycolysis and respiration of testicular spermatozoa, while lower than that of the more mature cells, were only slightly affected by the incubation conditions. Epididymal spermatozoa converted 83% of the glucose they utilized to CO2 or lactate, but testicular cells converted only 35% to these metabolites. Synthesis of lipid was greatest by testicular spermatozoa. With the more mature cells hyperosmolar conditions depressed CO2 production, but increased lactate production, and these changes were greater for ejaculated than for epididymal spermatozoa. Glycolysis plus respiration of these cells was related to their motility. These results were interpreted as showing increasing motility, glycolysis and respiration with maturation, but also decreased synthetic capacity and increased sensitivity to the environment.
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PMID:Effects of osmolality, bicarbonate and buffer on the metabolism and motility of testicular, epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa of boars. 43 62

The skin response in guinea pigs at various times after immunization with epididymal sperm in Freund's complete adjuvant is reported. Findings were correlated with the progression of the autoimmune orchitis. Also, possible skin reactivity to sperm extract at 8 months after bilateral vasectomies in which both ends of the vasa had been ligated was investigated. The histological changes in the testes at 5 months postvasectomy were studied. Epididymal sperm was obtained by flushing out the vas and epididymis of mature guinea pigs. The dried epididymal sperm was used for immunization, dissolved or suspended in PBS. For skin testing, a heat-treated extract of the sperm (BES) was used. The methods of preparing reagents is described. The skin reactions to BES and to a purified protein derivative (PPD) in females were similar to those of any standard protein antigen. In males, this reaction resembled that in females at 1 week after immunization but later was different. Induration and erythema were greater in females (p less than .001) from 2 weeks on. The response of males to PPD was less than in females at 1 week but at 2 weeks was the same. Males immunized with purified ovalbumin responded to PPD similarly to females. After 8 months, following vasectomy, the response to BES at 24 hours was similar to that of controls. Testes weighed at 1 week after immunization were increased, possibly due to edema, but after the 3rd week weight was decreased. Histology of the testes after immunization showed cellular infiltration after 2 weeks and disappearance of spermatogenic elements from the seminiferous tubules. Evidence of delayed hypersensitivity to sperm was not shown.
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PMID:Comparison of allergic aspermatogenesis with that induced by vasectomy. I. In vivo studies in the guinea-pig. 94 75

Fluid of rat cauda epididymidis was obtained by flushing the duct with 0.25 mol l-1 sucrose in 0.01 mol l-1 Tris-HCl buffer pH 7.4. The fluid was centrifuged at 600 x g for 15 min and the sperm free supernatant was centrifuged at 47,000 x g for 1 h. The sediments observed with the electron microscope consisted of a heterogeneous population of membrane-bound vesicles similar to those seen in the intact organ. In the sediment containing the vesicles the activity of beta-galactosidase was mostly unavailable for the substrate showing a high degree of latency: the activity became soluble after a treatment with 0.5% saponin. The activity of N-acetyl-galactosaminadase instead, was mainly available for the substrate and soluble in buffer containing 0.6 mol l-1 KCl. It was then inferred that beta-galactosidase is located inside vesicles with no or little affinity for the membrane, while N-acetylglucosaminadase is bound to the external surface of vesicles. Supernatants and precipitates from suspensions of vesicles in buffered 0.5% saponin were analysed for proteins by gel electrophoresis. The electrophoretic patterns of the sediments were very different from those of supernatants and showed a number of bands greater than that of the latter. The vesicles are believed to arise from the epididymal epithelium, but their physiological role is unknown.
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PMID:First observations on enzymatic activity and protein content of vesicles separated from rat epididymal fluid. 180 9

The simple method of retrograde flushing of spermatozoa from the epididymal cauda of slaughter bulls yielded an average of 2 x 10(9) spermatozoa from one cauda. The plasma membrane was intact in something between 80 and 85 percent of all epididymal spermatozoa. Respiratory rates and motility were clearly below values typical of ejaculated spermatozoa, though sizeable differences were found to exist for both parameters between individual preparations. The endogenous substrates available proved to be sufficient for such low metabolic activity, whereas higher energy turnover required the presence of exogenous substrates, such as lactate, pyruvate or fructose. Respiratory capacity, determined by uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in the presence of lactate, was comparable to that of ejaculated bull spermatozoa. The above findings are likely to suggest that the lower respiratory rates of epididymal spermatozoa were attributable to the fact that their consumption for motility of adenosine triphosphoric acid (ATP) was lower than that of ejaculated spermatozoa.
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PMID:[Respiration and motility of epididymal sperm from slaughtered bulls]. 224 90

Cauda epididymal rat spermatozoa were isolated by flushing the excised epididymis and the plasma membrane was detached by a nitrogen cavitation treatment (500 psi, 10 minutes equilibration at 4 C). Membrane vesicles were recovered after sucrose gradient centrifugation. Portions of the sperm surface releasing the plasma membrane were assessed by light microscopy of fluoroscein isothiocyanate-succinylated concanavalin A-treated spermatozoa and by transmission electron microscopy. Plasma membrane was detached from the region overlying the acrosome from most spermatozoa and from the middle-piece overlying the mitochondria from some cells. Thus, the fraction analyzed was derived from at least two portions of the sperm surface. The fractions from the sucrose density gradient were analyzed for gross chemical composition (phospholipid, protein and sterol) and the protein components were detected after electrophoresis under denaturing conditions; the peak fractions (at density approximately 1.13 g/ml) were judged homogeneous. Replicate analyses of such preparations established mass ratios of protein to phospholipid of 0.63, total sterol to phospholipid of 0.18, and demosterol to cholesterol of 0.32. The molecular composition of the phospholipid fraction was determined to be 10% phosphatidylserine (mole percent), 3% phosphatidylinosital, 3% sphingomyelin, 31% phosphatidylethanolamine, 27% phosphatidylcholine, 10% diphosphatidylglycerol and 5% of an unknown component. Fatty acyl analyses of the phospholipid fraction revealed that approximately 70% of the residues consisted of palmitoyl (16:0) and stearoyl (18:0) acyl groups, with the balance distributed among various unsaturated acyl groups (18:1, 22:3, 22:4 and 22:5); about 40% of the recovered phospholipids represented ether acyl phosphatides. Differences in the lipid composition of rat vesicles described here and similar vesicles isolated from ram and boar spermatozoa (described previously) are discussed. The partitioning of the nitroxyl spin label 3-doxylheptane into vesicles isolated from rat and ram spermatozoa was assessed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at temperatures between 4 C and 26 C; no difference in the response of the spin label in the two vesicle preparations was detected.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of the plasma membrane of rat cauda epididymal spermatozoa. 340 61

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) is present in the guinea-pig testis, epididymis and epididymal fluid. Guinea-pig ABP sediments as an approx. 4.6S species on sucrose gradients containing 0.01 M KCl. Electrophoresis on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels indicated that specific androgen binding was present in epididymal cytosol, but not in plasma. Time-course studies indicated that binding equilibrium is approached in about 2.5 h; the dissociation half-time of [3H]5 alpha-DHT from guinea-pig ABP is 5.64 +/- 0.62 h (n = 6) at 4 degrees C. The relative affinities of some steroids for guinea-pig ABP in relation to 5 alpha-DHT = 1 are: testosterone = 0.55 +/- 0.13 (n = 4), estradiol = 0.14 +/- 0.03 (n = 4), the anti-androgen cyproterone acetate = 0.0025 +/- 0.0002 (n = 3). Guinea-pig ABP exhibited an equilibrium dissociation constant of 6.34 +/- 0.52 nM (n = 3) at 4 degrees C and there were 3.43 +/- 0.78 (n = 3) pmoles of binding sites per mg of protein when homogenates of the whole epididymis were assayed. The concentration of ABP was lowest in the caput-corpus region of the epididymis, highest in the proximal cauda, and intermediate in the distal cauda. Essentially all of the ABP present in the distal cauda was intraluminal, as evidenced by the fact that flushing of the duct eliminated most of the [3H]5 alpha-DHT binding activity.
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PMID:The presence of androgen-binding protein in the guinea-pig testis, epididymis and epididymal fluid. 689 45

Some data on the synthesis and characterization of poly(HEMA-MAC) and its applications for fertility control are presented. This new technique involves the use of the polymer, which when injected into the vas deferens lowers the pH sufficiently so as to kill the spermatozoa passing through. The polymer provides an acidic environment for a prolonged time and slowly erodes. The fertility may be restored after complete solubility of the polymer itself over a period of time or by flushing it with a suitable solvent. It is a nonsurgical, nonocclusive, and reversible method of male contraception. In regard to the experimental procedure, copolymerization of HEMA with MAC (35% by weight) in methanol was carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere in glass ampules. Irradiation was performed in a cobalt-60 radiation chamber. All the samples were irradiated at a dose rate of 130 rad/s for a total dose of 0.936 Mrad at room temperature. For studying the spermicidal actions of the copolymer, epididymal fluid from the male rat was collected, diluted 1:10 with Ringer-fructose buffer and microscopically examined. Small swollen pieces of poly(HEMA-MAC) copolymer as well as poly(HEMA) homopolymer were then added to the epididymal fluid and the effect on the spermatozoa was noted. The spermicidal action "in vitro" was indicated by the loss of motility of the spermatozoa immediately on coming in contact with the poly(HEMA-MAC). The spermatozoa remained immotile even after the removal of the copolymer, indicating that they were dead. The polymer treated spermatozoa did not take up any supravital stain confirming that they were killed. This effect was absent only when poly(HEMA) was used. These results clearly show that the spermicidal activity is mainly due to the carboxylic groups of MAC. Possibly the low pH environment due to the ionization of carboxylic groups is responsible for killing the spermatozoa. For all the experiments the injection of the polymeric solution into the vas deferens was given only by exposing the vas deferens, but it is reported that in humans injection into the scrotal wall is possible. The new technique has all the characteristics which can lead to an ideal contraceptive method. Preliminary results of "in vitro" experiments on human spermatozoa with these hydrogels are encouraging.
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PMID:Novel mode of contraception using polymeric hydrogels. I. 705 60

The aim of our study was to define the conditions for IVM and IVF of oocytes in 2 common deer species as models for endangered related subspecies. Immature oocytes were recovered during the breeding season from postmortem ovaries (red deer) or by repeated laparoscopic follicular aspiration (sika deer). Oocytes were cultured for 24 h in IVM medium supplemented with EGF or FSH and follicular fluid. Stag semen was collected by electroejaculation (both species) or by epididymal flushing (red deer) and cryopreserved. For IVF, oocytes were exposed to different concentrations of thawed spermatozoa in a modified Tyrode albumin lactate pyruvate medium supplemented with 20% (v/v) estrus sheep serum for 18 h. After IVF, presumptive zygotes were allowed to develop in vitro for 7 days in synthetic oviduct fluid (SOF) supplemented with fetal calf serum (10%, v/v). In both species, the presence of ovine FSH and follicular fluid improved the in vitro maturation rate. In the sika deer, the optimal sperm concentration for IVF was 10(6)/mL and some fertilized oocytes reached the early morula stage (20 to 25 cells). In the red deer, after IVF with ejaculated or epididymal spermatozoa (2.0 x 10(6)/mL), 20% of zygotes developed to the blastocyst stage (50 to 80 cells).
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PMID:Successful in vitro production of embryos in the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the sika deer (Cervus nippon). 1123 90

Taurine and hypotaurine have been found in spermatozoa and seminal plasma of numerous species and are known to have beneficial effects on sperm characteristics in mammals. Taurine is considered an essential dietary constituent in cats. Dietary deficiency has been associated with a range of serious clinical disorders. Quantification of taurine and hypotaurine in the genital tracts of male cats has not been reported. In this study, the concentrations of taurine and its precursors were measured in serum, spermatozoa, epididymal fluid and seminal plasma from cats. The concentrations of taurine measured in serum samples confirmed that the cats were not deficient in taurine. Significant amounts of taurine and hypotaurine were found in spermatozoa, seminal plasma and epididymal flushing fluid. Hypotaurine was not detected in serum samples. These results indicate that hypotaurine may be synthesized in cat testes or epididymides. Cysteamine was not detected in any of the samples.
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PMID:Taurine and hypotaurine in spermatozoa and epididymal fluid of cats. 1178 95

Recently, we reported that male accessory sex gland (ASG) secretions protect sperm genomic integrity by demonstrating that DNA damage was more extensive in sperm not exposed to the secretions. The present study was conducted to find out if ASGs secrete the main antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx or GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) and if the most abundant one, SOD, can protect those sperm that were not exposed to ASG secretions against NADPH-induced oxidative stress. Four experimental groups of male golden hamsters were used: intact animals with proven fertility, animals with all major ASGs removed (TX), animals that were bilaterally vasectomized, and sham-operated controls. SOD, CAT, and GPx activities were measured in secretions from all 5 ASGs and sperm-free uterine flushing from virgin females and those mated with the experimental males. The alkaline comet assay was used to analyze DNA integrity of the TX group sperm after incubation in a medium containing 50 U/mL of SOD along with 0 to 20 mmol/L NADPH. The main antioxidant enzyme in ASGs was SOD from coagulating glands (P <.05) and GPx together with CAT from ampullary glands (P <.05). Uterine flushing of ejaculates that contained ASG secretions had more SOD and CAT activities than those with epididymal secretions alone (P <.05 and P <.001, respectively), whereas activity of GPx was the same (P >.05). Addition of SOD in vitro dose dependently decreased the incidence of single-strand DNA damage in sperm not exposed to ASG secretions incubated in the presence of 0 to 20 mmol/L NADPH (P <.001). These results indicated that, in terms of abundance, SOD was the main antioxidant enzyme secreted by male ASGs, whereas CAT was the second one. The GPx activity came from both epididymis and ASGs. We conclude that ASG secretions play a significant role in protecting sperm against oxidative stress.
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PMID:Male genital tract antioxidant enzymes: their source, function in the female, and ability to preserve sperm DNA integrity in the golden hamster. 1295 61


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