The role of pH values in porcine reproductive tracts of male and female individuals

Abstract

For a long time, in practice, and science, has been known that pH values of sperm and vagina are important for successful fertilization. In this investigation this fact was confirmed, and the goal was to investigate the role of pH values through whole reproductive tract of male and female individuals: testis, rete testis, epididymis, ductus deferens, Cowper's gland, vesicula seminalis, prostata, corpus cavernosus, corpus spongiosus, epitel tissue of penis tube, sperm, vagina, uterus, horn of uterus, oviduct, fimbrie ovarica, ovarium, follicular fluid. Measurement was performed in reproductive active males as well as before and after ovulation in females. Porcine reproductive tracts (per 15 female and male individuals) were collected from institute's slaughterhouse, immediately post mortem dissected, homogenised and pH values were measured (according to method Rede&Rahelić (1969)). Ovarium and follicular liquid have the highest pH values (7,4) in females, but a small peak in preovulatory oviduct is also present and corresponded to pH of sperm of reproductive fully active male individuals (pH=app.7,2). After fertilization pH in surrounding of zygot (through depolarisation of its membrane) in oviduct, and zygot which then has external decreased pH value moves to less pH values regions by the same principle, that means to uterus, (pH between 7,2 (horn) and 7,07(cervix)) in postovulatory female reproductive tract, where nidation of blastocyst occurs. This investigation could help to elucidate knowledge about reproductive physiology in vivo, giving importance to role of pH values along reproductive tract of male and female individuals.

U praksi i nauci je odavno poznato da je pH vrednost sperme i vagine od značaja za uspešnu oplodnju. U ovom istraživanju je to potvrđeno, a cilj istraživanja je bio da se ispita uloga pH vrednosti duž celog polnog trakta mužjaka i ženki svinja: od testisa, epididimisa ductus deferens, Kauperove žlezde, semene kesice, prostate, corpus cavernosus i corpus spongiosus penisa, epitelnog tkiva cevi penisa, sperme vagine, materice, rogova materice, jajovoda, fimbrie ovarica, jajnika, do folikularne tečnosti jajnika. Merenje je izvršeno kod polno aktivnih mužjaka i ženki (pre- i postovulatorno). Polni trakt svinja (po 15 ženskih i muških jedinki) je uzet iz eksperimentalne klanice instituta, odmah post mortem izvršena je disekcija, homogenizacija čvrstih tkiva i merene su pH vrednosti (prema metodi Rede i Rahelić (1969)). Jajnik i folikularna tečnost jajnika imale su najvišu pH vrednost od 7,4, dok je mali ali značajan porast pH vrednosti u preovulatornom jajniku odgovarao pH vrednosti sperme polno aktivnih mužjaka (pH oko7,2). Nakon oplodnje u okolini zigota (putem depolarizacije membrane) u jajovodu se snižava pH vrednost, što ostaje za dalja istraživanja, i zigot koji tada ima spoljašnju smanjenu pH, kreće se, potpomognut pokretima trepljastog epitela, ka regionu niže pH vrednosti, odnosno materici (u rasponu pH od 7,2 u rogu materice do 7, 07 u cerviksu) u postovulatornom polnom traktu ženki i u materici se odvija nidacija odnosno ugnježđivanje blastule ukoliko je oplodnja uspešna. Ova istraživanja bi mogla da rasvetle znanja o polnoj fiziologiji in vivo, dajući značaj pH vrednostima duž polnog trakta muških i ženskih jedinki.