Dominant Components of the Giant Panda Seminal Plasma Metabolome, Characterized by <sup>1</sup>H-NMR Spectroscopy
Chenglin Zhu,
Lei Jin,
Bo Luo,
Qiang Zhou,
Li Dong,
Xiaoyan Li,
Hemin Zhang,
Yan Huang,
Caiwu Li,
Likou Zou,
Luca Laghi
Affiliations
Chenglin Zhu
College of Food Science and Technology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
Lei Jin
College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Bo Luo
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Qiang Zhou
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Li Dong
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Xiaoyan Li
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Hemin Zhang
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Yan Huang
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Caiwu Li
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan 611800, China
Likou Zou
College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Luca Laghi
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
As an assisted breeding technique, artificial insemination has become the main effective practical approach in the captive breeding programs of giant panda worldwide. The composition of seminal plasma plays an important role in the success of breeding. The present work is the first attempt to characterize, by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR), the metabolome of healthy giant panda seminal plasma. A total of 35 molecules were quantified, with the concentration of 2,3-butanediol being significantly different between individuals younger than 8 years and older than 13 years, and other distinct age-related trends were highlighted by a multivariate analysis. Isopropanol’s concentration was significantly linked to estrus stages. Besides, the variations in the metabolome’s profile during storage were also evaluated. This study may serve as a reference for further research wishing to shed light on the biological mechanisms affecting giant panda sperm’s overall quality and may ultimately lead to novel approaches to giant panda artificial insemination.
