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A Study of Bovine Follicular Fluid and Its Effect on Oxygen Consumption by Bovine Spermatozoa¹

Animal Industry Group, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, Lexington

ABSTRACT

Five semen samples were obtained from each of two bulls and used to determine the effects of follicular fluid on oxygen consumption by washed spermatozoa. The spermatozoa in follicular fluid utilized 4.6 times more oxygen than did an equal number of spermatozoa in saline. It was found that 36.6% of this increase was due to glucose, 26.1% to protein; and the remaining 37.3% was apparently due to other unidentified, heat-stable, nondialyzable substances.

The pH of follicular fluid increased from about 7.4 to about 8.9 during incubation in Warburg flasks for 3 hr. at 37° C. This rise in pH was found to be due to the diffusion of carbon dioxide out of the fluid and its absorption by KOH in the center wells of the flasks. Fresh follicular fluid contained about 0.498 g. of carbon dioxide per liter.

¹ The investigation reported in this paper is in connection with a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published by perinission of the Director.