EFFECTS OF PIVALIC ACID AND SODIUM PIVALATE ON L-CARNITINE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE CAUDA EPIDIDYMIDIS AND ON MALE-FERTILITY IN THE HAMSTER

In this study, administration of pivalic acid or its sodium salt was f ound to decrease the L-carnitine concentration in the epididymal lumen of the hamster; it also tested whether this decrease affected sperm c ell motility, chromatin structure, or fertilizing capacity. Provision of pivalic acid or its sodium salt (20 mM or 40 mM) in the drinking wa ter of mature male golden hamsters for 30 days reduced (by 72.%, 75%, and 83% in three experiments) the L-carnitine concentration of the cau da epididymidis but did not inhibit sperm chromatin condensation, as a ssessed by flow cytometry. The treatments did not alter the location o f motile sperm in the epididymidis nor did they appreciably affect the motility of sperm obtained from the distal cauda epididymidis. The nu mbers and percentage of ova that reached the 2-cell stage 36-40 h afte r uterine insemination with spermatozoa from control and treated hamst ers served as a measure of sperm fertility. Treatment with pivalic aci d or sodium pivalate did not render male hamsters infertile although i t appeared to reduce the fertilizing ability of their spermatozoa. The se results suggest that the high concentration of L-carnitine present in the lumen of the cauda epididymidis is not required for maturation of sperm chromatin or development of sperm motility.