Effects of Fluid Secreted from the Uterus on Duration of Fertile Egg Production in Hens, and Survivability and Penetrability of Fowl Sperm in vitro

Abstract

In this study, whether the secretion of the uterine fluid (UF) exerts a role in the prolongation of functional life-span of the sperm in the hen oviduct was evaluated. The sperm were subjected to upper vaginal artificial insemination (AI) in the vicinity of the utero-vaginal junction (UVJ) under conditions of either non-secretion, plumping fluid (PF) secretion, or calcifying fluid (CF) secretion of the uterus of hens. Aliquots of the sperm were also subjected to in vitro storage at 41°C for 0, 2, 4, and 6 h in Lake’s solution (LS), PF and CF. Following AI, the exposure of the sperm to either PF or CF secretion resulted in a remarkably a longer duration of the fertile egg production compared to when the AI was performed during the non-secretory phase of the uterus (P<0.05). Similarly, the in vitro exposure of the sperm to PF and CF during storage resulted in increased survivability and penetrability of the sperm compared with storage in LS (P<0.05). In particular, distinct functional differences (P<0.05) were observed between the sperm stored in vivo and in vitro under PF and CF conditions. The sperm inseminated in the presence of PF secretion exhibited a longer period of fertile egg production, and the sperm stored in PF in vitro exhibited a higher capacity for survival and penetration into the inner perivitelline layer (IPL) than those inseminated in the presence of CF secretion or were stored in vitro in CF, respectively, indicating that exposure of the sperm to the UF might influence sperm function. In conclusion, the in vivo and in vitro findings suggest that the secretion of UF in the oviduct of hens may prolong sperm survival and maintain the fertility potential of the fowl sperm.

Keywords

• artificial insemination
• fertility potential
• sperm survival
• uterine fluid