Table 1.
Quality parameters for semen samples after 24 h storage at 17 °C. Semen samples had been stored in Beltsville Thawing Solution (n = 78 boars). The responsiveness of sperm in the calcium influx assay was calculated based on the propidium iodide and Fluo-3 low sperm population as the difference (Δ) between the values at the beginning (3 min) and after 60 min of incubation (Δ3–60 min = 3 min–60 min). The specific response to bicarbonate was calculated as the difference (Δ) in response to a full capacitating medium (TyrBicCa) within 60 min minus the response to a calcium-containing control medium (TyrCa) within 60 min. The specific response to calcium was calculated as the difference (Δ) in response to a full capacitating medium (TyrBicCa) minus the response to a calcium-free control medium (TyrControl).
| Parameter | Mean | sd | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total motility (%) | 89.9 | 5.5 | 70.9 | 98.4 |
| Progressive motility (%) | 85.3 | 9.2 | 42.4 | 96.2 |
| VAP (µm/s) | 66.5 | 11.7 | 25.0 | 94.2 |
| VCL (µm/s) | 117.9 | 23.8 | 43.8 | 166.4 |
| VSL (µm/s) | 51.3 | 9.2 | 19.7 | 80.9 |
| ALH (µm) | 3.11 | 0.70 | 1.04 | 5.02 |
| BCF (Hz) | 33.5 | 4.8 | 17.6 | 42.2 |
| PI and PNA-FITC negative sperm (%) | 74.8 | 10.4 | 39.8 | 91.9 |
| Morphological abnormal sperm (%) | 18.0 | 12.4 | 1.5 | 54.0 |
| Cytoplasmic droplets (%) | 8.1 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 37.0 |
| Proximal cytoplasmic droplets (%) | 5.7 | 7.6 | 0.0 | 33.5 |
| Distal cytoplasmic droplets (%) | 3.3 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 19.0 |
| Response in TyrBicCa | 53.7 | 13.7 | 16.5 | 74.4 |
| Response in TyrCa | 9.0 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 23.0 |
| Response in TyrControl | 4.6 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 17.7 |
| Specific response to bicarbonate | 44.7 | 15.1 | 3.4 | 69.3 |
| Specific response to calcium | 4.4 | 4.1 | −4.1 | 13.7 |
TyrBicCa = Tyrode’s medium with 15 mM bicarbonate and 2 mM Ca2+; TyrCa = Tyrode’s medium without bicarbonate, with 2 mM Ca2+; TyrControl = Tyrode’s medium without bicarbonate, with 1 mM EGTA; PI = propidium iodide; PNA-FITC = fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut agglutinin; VAP = average path velocity; VCL = curvilinear velocity; VSL = straight-line velocity; ALH = amplitude of lateral head displacement; BCF = beat cross frequency.