INFLUENCE OF SEMEN-COLLECTION FREQUENCY ON SPERM QUALITY IN BOARS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS

This study was performed to monitor biochemical changes in boar sperma tozoa following two systems of semen-collection frequency. A total of eight monthly series of semen collections were used. Microscopic analy ses of semen quality were accompanied by the following measurements of the activity of selected enzymes in order to assess integrity of sper matozoan structures: total acrosin activity for the acrosome, AspAT ac tivity in spermatozoa for the middle piece, lipid peroxidation (LPO) a nd the H-33258 (HO258) for the plasmolemma. Further radioisotope measu rements of H-3-actinomycine (H-3-AMD) incorporation into the chromatin were used as an index of chromatin stability. The results of this stu dy showed that long-term high ejaculation frequency leads to a gradual deterioration of the biological value of the spermatozoa and induces changes in the essential indices of semen quality (p less than or equa l to 0.01). Changes in the spermatozoan enzymatic activity were accomp anied by disturbances of the plasmolemma integrity, manifested by inte nsive binding with fluorochrome HO258. Simultaneously, a gradual chrom atin hyperstabilization (decreased intensity of H-3-AMD binding) was o bserved in the nucleus structure. The changes discussed were individua l specific. It is concluded that high semen-collection frequencies sti mulate an array of specific biochemically damaging changes in the sper matozoa which are similar to apoptosis of the somatic cells.