Effect of Sperm Concentration on the Oxygen Uptake of Bull Semen

Abstract
Measurements of O2-uptake were made on unwashed bull spermatozoa at their natural concentrations in semen when varied by removal or addition of seminal plasma. The O2-uptake per cell was inversely related to the concentration of cells present. Rates of O2-uptake per cell and per milliliter semen were directly related to pH at the end of the experiments but sperm cell concentration was inversely related to final pH. Sperm motility was essentially independent of O2-uptake. The inverse relation of O2 uptake per sperm to their concentration in semen is probably due to a metabolic inhibitor associated with the spermatozoa and diluted by fluids of the accessory glands.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: