Cold Shock of Epididymal Spermatozoa

Abstract

An investigation was conducted on the effect of cold shock on epididymal spermatozoa of the bull. Spermatozoa recovered from the cauda epididymidis were resistant to cold shock; spermatozoa from the ampulla were not. Epididymal spermatozoa suspended in isotonic sodium citrate buffer were flushed through the ampullar section of the ductus deferens. The flushing resulted in a marked increase in sensitivity of the spermatozoa to cold shock. This increase was statistically highly significant. The data tend to support the hypothesis that the sensitivity of ejaculated spermatozoa to cold shock may be partly due to their passage through the ampulla.