Table 3. Age-related changes in the fertilization rate of epididymal spermatozoa from each region.
| Age of males (days) |
Fertilization rates using spermatozoa from |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Caput | Corpus | Cauda | |
| 36 | 0 (5) | 0 (5) | 0 (5) |
| 37 | 0 (5) | 5.8 ± 2.8 (7) | 2.9 ± 1.4 (7) |
| 38 | 0 (5) | 18.5 ± 10.0 (7) | 2.2 ± 2.2 (6) |
| 39 | 0 (3) | 11.2 ± 5.9 a (7) | 48.9 ± 10.3 b (7) |
| 40 | 0 (2) | 22.1 ± 4.3 a (7) | 72.0 ± 12.1 b (7) |
| 42 | 0 (6) | 47.0 ± 5.9 a (9) | 77.9 ± 8.4 b (9) |
| 120 | 0 (5) | 27.4 ± 6.3 a′ (8) | 97.7 ± 0.9 b′ (8) |
Values are the mean ± SEM (%). The number in parentheses indicates the number of males used. a,b P < 0.05; a′,b′ P < 0.01, Wilcoxon rank-sum test.