Period of Boar Ejaculate Collection Contributes to the Yearly Intra-Male Variability of Seminal Plasma Cytokines.

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of cytokines in seminal plasma (SP) fluctuate over time in healthy males, weakening their practical usefulness as diagnostic tools. This study evaluated the relevance of intra-male variability in SP cytokines and to what extent the period of the year when ejaculate is collected contributes to such variability. Thirteen cytokines (GM-CSF, IFN?, IL-1?, IL-1?, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF?) were measured using the Luminex xMAP® technology for 180 SP samples of ejaculate collected over a year from nine healthy and fertile boars. The SP samples were grouped into two annual periods according to decreasing or increasing daylight and ambient temperature. Intra-male variability was higher than inter-male variability for all cytokines. All SP cytokines showed concentration differences between the two periods of the year, showing the highest concentration during the increasing daylength/temperature period, irrespective of the male. Similarly, some cytokines showed differences between daylength/temperature periods when focusing on their total amount in the ejaculate. No strong relationship (explaining more than 50% of the total variance) was found between annual fluctuations in SP-cytokine levels and semen parameters. In conclusion, the period of the year during which ejaculates were collected helps explain the intra-male variability of SP-cytokine levels in breeding boars.

SUBMITTER: Padilla L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7285058 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature