Yunlei Li, Lijun Jiang, Yunhe Zong, Aixin Ni, Xintong Han, Adamu Mani Isa, Jingwei Yuan, Jilan Chen, Yanyan Sun
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Sperm motility is crucial for poultry reproductive efficiency. Seminal plasma is an essential component of semen, and its constituents are linked to sperm motility. This study investigated metabolomics in chicken seminal plasma associated with sperm motility and explored the fertility-enhancing potential of l-carnitine. Semen samples were collected from 16 individual chickens, including 8 with high sperm motility and 8 with low sperm motility. Each sample was divided into two portions: fresh or incubated at 37°C for 30 minutes. A total of 32 seminal plasma samples were obtained and investigated using a nontargeted metabolomics approach. Results indicated that the differential metabolites could be categorized into carnitine-related compounds, choline-related phospholipids, nucleotide derivatives, amino acid-related metabolites and other lipid mediators. More abundance of choline-related, nucleotide derivatives, and lipid mediators in low sperm motility group and incubated groups were identified. A significant decrease in the short-chain acylcarnitine 2-methylbutyroylcarnitine was associated with low sperm motility. Meanwhile, medium- and long-chain acyl-carnitines were elevated in incubated seminal plasma compared to fresh samples. Since acyl-carnitines are formed from carnitine and fatty acids, the potential function of l-carnitine in semen was further determined. An artificial insemination was performed using semen samples either fresh or incubated, and with or without additional of l-carnitine. After in-vitro incubation, samples supplemented with l-carnitine showed significantly improved sperm fertilizing capacity than the unsupplemented group. In conclusion, this study concluded that carnitine compounds play a crucial role in sperm motility, and l-carnitine supplementation enhanced sperm fertility and prolong sperm viability during in vitro storage. These findings suggest potential benefits for both rooster breeding and artificial insemination practices.
期刊介绍：
First self-published in 1921, Poultry Science is an internationally renowned monthly journal, known as the authoritative source for a broad range of poultry information and high-caliber research. The journal plays a pivotal role in the dissemination of preeminent poultry-related knowledge across all disciplines. As of January 2020, Poultry Science will become an Open Access journal with no subscription charges, meaning authors who publish here can make their research immediately, permanently, and freely accessible worldwide while retaining copyright to their work. Papers submitted for publication after October 1, 2019 will be published as Open Access papers.
An international journal, Poultry Science publishes original papers, research notes, symposium papers, and reviews of basic science as applied to poultry. This authoritative source of poultry information is consistently ranked by ISI Impact Factor as one of the top 10 agriculture, dairy and animal science journals to deliver high-caliber research. Currently it is the highest-ranked (by Impact Factor and Eigenfactor) journal dedicated to publishing poultry research. Subject areas include breeding, genetics, education, production, management, environment, health, behavior, welfare, immunology, molecular biology, metabolism, nutrition, physiology, reproduction, processing, and products.
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