The Effect of Maltose on Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Post Mortem Epididymal Sperm Kinetics

The maltose disaccharide is easily converted into two glucose molecules during cellular glycolysis and is an energy source for sperm motility. To evaluate the effect of maltose on the kinetics of water buffalo epididymal sperm, 10 pairs of buffalo bull testicles, after the usual industrial slaughter, were transported to the laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in a polystyrene box at a temperature of 5o to 8o Celsius. In the laboratory, after fixing the tail of the epididymis with two fingers, several incisions were made in noncapillary zones. After the milky liquid containing concentrated spermatozoa was extracted, this liquid was transferred to an Eppendorf cell culture medium containing 10% bovine serum albumin (BSA). Five levels of maltose sugar (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 mM) were added to the Eppendorf containing 1 ml culture medium and 30-40 million sperm with 10% BSA and incubated at 37o C for 24 hours. Sperm kinetics were assessed at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Statistical analysis showed that CASA data such as rapid progressive motility (class A, %), progressive motility (class B, %), viability (class A+B+C, %), straight-line velocity (VSL, µm/s), curvilinear velocity (VCL, µm/s), average path velocity (VAP, µm/s) and lateral head amplitude (ALH, µm) at 24 hrs were higher in the maltose group than in the control group (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study suggests that maltose has a desirable effect on buffalo epididymal spermatozoa and maltose may act as an energy substrate for sperm motility.