B. Ferrandi et al., SPONTANEOUS LIPID-PEROXIDATION AND SPERM METABOLISM DURING INCUBATIONIN MEDIA SIMULATING THE OVIDUCTAL MICROENVIRONMENT, Cellular and molecular biology, 41(2), 1995, pp. 327-333
It has been suggested that along the female genital tract spontaneous
lipid peroxidation regulates the limit of the lifetime of spermatozoa.
We have studied some aspects of rabbit and mouse spermatozoal metabol
ism during spontaneous lipid peroxidation in the course of the incubat
ion in media which simulate the oviductal environment. The spermatozoa
collected at regular intervals after the beginning of incubation were
processed for cytochemical detection of cytochrome oxidase, lactate d
ehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities. Quantit
ative cytochemical assays were made in situ in individual spermatozoa
by microdensitometry. The cytochrome oxidase activity significantly de
creased in both species because of damage to mitochondrial enzymes and
membranes by radical and non-radical products of lipid peroxidation.
The change in lactate dehydrogenase activity indicates that under our
experimental conditions the lipid peroxidation process damages membran
e permeability more markedly in mouse spermatozoa. The glucose-6-phosp
hate dehydrogenase activity, which should influence the concentration
of reduced glutathione through production of NADPH, is more extensivel
y enhanced in mouse spermatozoa than in rabbit spermatozoa. This is in
agreement with the fact that in mouse spermatozoa the glutathione sys
tem is the major protective defence against oxidative damage while in
rabbit spermatozoa it is superoxide dismutase.