Nuovi approcci per la valutazione della qualità dei gameti

The aim of our study was to use metabolomic and proteomic technologies to evaluate quality parameters of male and female gametes using ovine and equine as models. We evaluate 1) metabolomic factors in seminal plasma of subfertile rams pharmacologically treated with melatonin using capillary electrophoresis (CE) and mass spectrometry. We measured melatonin concentration in seminal plasma and evidenced its increase till 90 days after treatment. Parallelly to melatonin seminal plasma concentration it was affected carnitine and acetylcarnitine and some aminoacids that could be used as biomarkers of sperm quality; 2) Sperm quality and ATP concentration in stallions of different ages using capillary electrophoresys and UV determination. Our data did not evidence any difference between different experimental groups.3) Spermatozoa ATP concentration by CE with UV and seminal plasma proteomics using 2D-PAGE, in subfertile stallions carrying lower sperm viability and motility. Obtained data did not evidence differences in ATP concentration but it were showed differences in protein patterns; 3)ATP and protein patterns during maturation of ovine oocytes with different developmental competence using CE with LIF and 2D-PAGE respectively. ATP was showed a determining factor responsible to protein synthesis delay, meiotic cycle timing and embryo quality. Our study evidenced the reliable use of metabolomics and proteomics to determine male and female gametes quality.