Table 2.
Effects of heat stress on sperm characteristics in male guinea pig.
| Caudal epididymal sperm characteristics | Levels of temperature (°C) | p-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–25 n = 12 |
32 ± 1 n = 12 |
39 ± 1 n = 12 |
46 ± 1 n = 12 |
||
| Motility (%) | 96.67 ± 0.58 | 72.50 ± 2.89 | 65.00 ± 2.16 | 20.00 ± 0.00 | / |
| Number/cauda epididymis (×107) | 6.75 ± 0.25a | 5.92 ± 0.38b | 5.58 ± 0.14b | 0.25 ± 0.00c | <0.001 |
| Number/g of epididymal tail (×106) | 7.88 ± 0.72a | 5.44 ± 0.43b | 4.75 ± 0.50b | 0.25 ± 0.00c | <0.001 |
| Spermatozoa with small and large heads (%) | 19.75 ± 0.50 | 13.00 ± 0.82 | 16.67 ± 2.89 | 5.33 ± 0.58 | / |
a, b, c
Within the same row, values with the same letters are not significantly (p > 0.05) different. p: probability; n: number of guinea pig.