Oxidative stress, osmotic stress and apoptosis: Impacts on sperm function and preservation in the horse

Barry A. Ball

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

239 Scopus citations

Abstract

Oxidative stress is an important component of the cytopathology of equine spermatozoa undergoing storage as liquid or frozen semen. Damage to chromatin, membranes and proteins of sperm are important components of oxidative damage to sperm. Similarly, sperm are exposed to a variety of osmotic stresses during storage that result from exposure to hypertonic media or result as a consequence of osmotic changes induced during freezing. A number of changes induced during processing and storage of equine sperm also appear to induce apoptotic-like changes which may adversely affect sperm survival and function. These processes appear in many cases to be interrelated, and this review will examine current understanding of these processes on the equine sperm function.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)257-267
Number of pages11
JournalAnimal Reproduction Science
Volume107
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2008

Keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • Equine
  • Osmotic stress
  • Oxidative stress
  • Sperm

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Animals
  • Animal Science and Zoology
  • Endocrinology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Oxidative stress, osmotic stress and apoptosis: Impacts on sperm function and preservation in the horse'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this