Effect of sodium and potassium concentrations and pH on the maintenance of motility of rabbit and rat epididymal spermatozoa
- 1 September 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Bioscientifica in Reproduction
- Vol. 57 (1) , 245-251
- https://doi.org/10.1530/jrf.0.0570245
Abstract
Spermatozoa were collected from the caput and cauda epididymidis of rabbits and rats and diluted in Hank''s solution containing bovine serum albumin, with various concentrations of Na+ and K+. Ionic strength and osmolarity were kept constant. Motility was assessed at various intervals during incubation at 25.degree. C. In the pH range 7.05-7.20, the motility of rabbit spermatozoa was not affected by changes in the ratio of K+ to Na+. The motility of rat cauda spermatozoa was not altered but caput spermatozoa was slightly depressed by a high K+/Na+ ratio. In the pH range 5.45-5.85, rabbit cauda and caput spermatozoa had much greater motility in media with a high K+/Na+ ratio. The reverse result was obtained for the rat. The motility of epididymal spermatozoa is evidently influenced by external Na+ and K+ concentrations. This phenomenon is pH-dependent.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: