A Preliminary Study on Sperm Morphology, Motility and Composition of Seminal Plasma of Shirbot, Barbus grypus

In the present study, we investigated some qualitative parameters of milt in an endemic cyprinid fish, Shirbot, Barbus grypus. The parameters including: sperm motility, sperm density and the composition of seminal plasma (calcium, sodium and potassium, phosphorous, cholesterol, glucose. In this regard, 13 males ready to spawning (TW: 2846 +/- 324 g, TL: 65.8 +/- 4.8 cm) were provided from the South Aquaculture Research Center. Then, fish were injected during 12 days intraperitoneally in one stage with 2 mg/kg.bw pituitary extract and after 10-12 h, the spermiation occurred and sperm collection was carried out. According to results, the mean values of assayed parameters were: sperm motility duration: 108 +/- 13.6 s; sperm density: 18.8 +/- 2.44; seminal plasma pH: 7.87 +/- 0.2; % spermatocrit: 76.07 +/- 9.57; glucose: 9.41 +/- 1.29 mg/dl; cholesterol: 25.71 +/- 2.99 mg/dl; total protein: 1.27 +/- 0.29 mg/dl; Na+: 93.73 +/- 7.78 mmol/l; K+: 44.3 +/- 4.5 mmol/l; Ca++: 0.86 +/- 0.06; Mg++: 1.43 +/- 0.18 mmol/l; total sperm length: 4.17 +/- 0.34 mu m; sperm head length: 1.2 +/- 0.2 mu m; sperm flagellum length: 3.01 +/- 0.21 mu m. Also, significant correlation was found between sperm motility duration and pH of seminal plasma and also spermatocrit and sperm density.