The ultrastructure and metabolism of ejaculated tammar wallaby sperm are impaired by swim-up procedures when compared with sperm from the cauda epididymidis.

The metabolism, rate of intracellular accumulation of sugars, motility and ultrastructure of ejaculated tammar sperm were impaired by swim-up into artificial media, particularly when the cells were subsequently exposed to N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG). The inclusion of hyaluronate, serum albumin, catalase or Desferal in swim-up media helped prevent deterioration of sperm motility, but failed to prevent detrimental NAG-induced metabolic and ultrastructural changes. However, the sperm were unavoidably diluted during swim-up into artificial media and their behavioural properties were modified by dilution. Thus, sperm collected from the cauda epididymidis were immotile and their rate of oxygen uptake was low in undiluted caudal epididymal semen (CES). Nevertheless, these sperm were viable, and vigorous motility was induced by 5- to 50-fold dilution in Krebs-Ringer phosphate (KRP). Sperm respiration also dramatically increased with moderate dilution (5- or 15-fold) in KRP, but decreased again at higher rates (50-fold). This suggested that motility and the metabolic properties of tammar sperm are modified both by dilution and on leaving the suppressing conditions of the epididymis. Diluted tammar epididymal sperm also displayed a Pasteur effect, but rapidly lost capacity for motility in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere. It was concluded that swim-up procedures compromise ejaculated tammar sperm by promoting dilution-induced changes. This may alter the permeability of the membrane with loss of the enzymes that process the ammonia generated during the metabolism of NAG in seminal plasma. Subsequent exposure to NAG further promotes ultrastructural damage culminating in loss of viability.