Free Amino Acid Composition of Porcine Seminal, Epididymal and Seminal Vesicle Fluids

Abstract

Free amino acid concentrations were determined in boar seminal plasma collected as whole ejaculate or as sperm rich and sperm poor. Analyses for free amino acids were made of the caudal epididymal plasma and seminal vesicle fluid recovered from the same four boars after slaughter. Only plasma from the semen collected and from the epididymal semen was analyzed. A total of 34 amino acids or ninhydrin positive compounds were identified. Glutamic acid, hypotaurine and taurine were in highest concentrations in plasma from the highest sperm containing fractions. These three amino acids represented 93.9% of all amino acids present in the epididymal plasma. Glycine predominated in the sperm poor plasma (31% of the total) and the seminal vesicle fluid (38% of the total). Most amino acid concentrations changed little among the three ejaculated fractions with the exception of those found to be predominant in the higher sperm containing fluids. Total amino acids present in the various fractions ranged from 460 µmoles/100 ml in the sperm poor plasma to 8,417 µmoles/100 ml in the epididymal plasma.