In Vitro Effects of Enterococcus Faecalis and Selected Biomolecules on the Motility of Rabbit Spermatozoa

This study assessed the potential efficiency of selected biologically active substances on the motility behavior of rabbit spermatozoa subjected to in vitro induced E. faecalis contamination. Semen samples were collected from 10 male rabbits and the presence of E. faecalis was confirmed using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry. For the in vitro experiments rabbit spermatozoa were resuspended in the presence of 0,3 McF E. faecalis and different concentrations of selected biomolecules (resveratrol - RES, quercetin - QUE, curcumin - CUR, epicatechin - EPI, isoquercitrin - IZO). Sperm motility was assessed using the computer-aided sperm analysis at 0h, 2h, 4h, 6h and 8h. The presence of E. faecalis significantly decreased the motility (P<0.001) when compared to the untreated Control starting at 2h and maintaining this negative impact throughout the entire in vitro culture. Meanwhile, the motility was significantly higher in the experimental samples subjected to E. faecalis together 5 μmol/L RES (P<0.05), 10 μmol/L QUE (P<0.05) as well as 1 μmol/L (P<0.01) and 10 μmol/L CUR (P<0.05) when compared to the Positive Control (4h). No biomolecule was able to maintain the motion comparable to the Negative Control, and none was effective against the rapid decline of sperm motility caused by the presence of E. faecalis during later stages of the in vitro experiment (6h and 8h). We may conclude that RES, QUE and CUR may provide a selective advantage to spermatozoa in the presence of E. faecalis, particularly during short-term rabbit semen handling.