Copper: a biphasic regulator of caprine sperm forward progression.

Copper: a biphasic regulator of caprine sperm forward progression. Syst Biol Reprod Med. 2013 Oct 24; Authors: Roy D, Dey S, Majumder GC, Bhattacharyya D Abstract Abstract Copper is essential for spermatogenesis and its presence has been demonstrated in male and female reproductive fluids in several mammalian species. However, little is known about the physiological significance of this trace element in the regulation of forward progression of mammalian sperm cells which is essential for sperm fertility potential in vivo. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the physiological role of the bivalent copper ion (Cu(2+)) on mammalian sperm forward motility using a chemically-defined medium and caprine cauda epididymal sperm model. Sperm forward motility was significantly enhanced by Cu(2+) in a dose-dependent manner; maximal activation (approx 20%) was noted at the 5 µM level of the metal. Above 10 µM Cu(2+) sperm motility decreased, showing that Cu(2+) exerts a biphasic regulation on sperm motility. These findings have been confirmed using a spectrophotometric motility assay, an objective method of motility analysis. At lower concentrations (up to 5 µM), copper enhanced sperm membrane lipid peroxidation as well as the level of intra-sperm cyclic adenosine mono phosphate (c-AMP), but at a higher level it caused marked inhibition of both of the biochemical parameters. The observed correlation of Cu(2+)-dependent biphasic modul...
Source: Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine - Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tags: Syst Biol Reprod Med Source Type: research