Influence of sperm cryopreservation on sperm motility and proAKAP4 concentration in mice

• Published in: Reproductive medicine and biology Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. e12480 - n/a
• Main Authors: Boersma, Auke, Primus, Jasmin, Wagner, Bettina, Broukal, Veronika, Andersen, Lill, Pachner, Barbara, Dahlhoff, Maik, Rülicke, Thomas, Auer, Kerstin E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-01-2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers; computer‐assisted sperm analysis; Cryopreservation; Fertility; In vitro fertilization; Infertility; Laboratories; Males; mice; Motility; Original; Polyvinyl alcohol; Potassium; proAKAP4; Proteins; Signal transduction; Sperm; Sperm donations; sperm motility; Austria
• ISSN: 1445-5781; 1447-0578
• DOI: 10.1002/rmb2.12480

Background
The protein proAKAP4 is crucial for sperm motility and has been suggested as an indicator of male fertility. We determined the relationship between proAKAP4 concentration and sperm motility parameters in mice, and investigated the effects of cryopreservation on these variables.
Methods
Computer‐assisted sperm analysis and ELISA were applied to determine sperm motility and proAKAP4 concentration in fresh and frozen‐thawed epididymal sperm of SWISS, B6D2F1, C57BL/6N, and BALB/c mice.
Results
ProAKAP4 levels ranged between 12 and 89 ng/ml and did not differ between fresh and frozen‐thawed samples, or between strains. We found a negative relationship between proAKAP4 levels and some sperm motility parameters. Sperm traits differed between strains, and cryopreservation negatively affected sperm velocity but not sperm direction parameters.
Conclusion
ProAKAP4 levels in epididymal mouse spermatozoa were unaffected by cryopreservation, highlighting the robustness of this parameter as a potentially time‐independent marker for sperm motility and fertility. The high individual variation in proAKAP4 levels supports the potential role of proAKAP4 as a marker for sperm quality, though we found no positive, and even negative relationships between proAKAP4 levels and some sperm motility parameters. Future studies have to investigate the significance of proAKAP4 as an indicator for fertility in mice.
The protein proAKAP4 is crucial for sperm motility, and has been suggested to work as an indicator for male fertility. We determined the relationship between proAKAP4 concentration and sperm motility parameters in mice, and investigated the effects of cryopreservation on these variables. We found no positive and even some negative relationships between proAKAP4 levels and sperm motility parameters in epididymal mouse spermatozoa.