Composition of collared peccary seminal plasma and sperm motility kinetics in semen obtained during dry and rainy periods in a semiarid biome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate environmental effects in a semiarid region on collared peccary seminal plasma content and sperm motility. Ejaculates from 12 mature males were obtained during the peak of rainy and dry periods of the Caatinga biome. Samples were evaluated for semen volume, pH, as well as sperm concentration, morphology, osmotic response, membrane integrity, chromatin condensation, and kinetic motility. Seminal plasma was evaluated for ions and organic compounds. The values for chloride, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, citric acid, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, albumin, and fructosamine were similar during the dry and rainy periods; however, concentrations of fructose (849.2 mg/dL compared with 119.4 mg/dL) and calcium (32.3 mg/dL compared with 15.6 mg/dL) were greater during the rainy compared with dry period (P <  0.05). There were correlations (P <  0.05) among values for semen variables and biochemical contents, particularly between fructose and sperm velocity average pathway (r = 0.65), velocity straight line (r = 0.78), velocity curvilinear (r = 0.57), amplitude lateral head (r = 0.62), linearity (r = 0.41), and subpopulation with a medium velocity (r = -0.75). Furthermore, values for relative humidity were positively correlated with concentrations of fructose (r = 0.49), while air temperature (r = -0.43) and wind velocity values (r = 0.66) were negatively affected by concentration of fructose (P <  0.05). There were novel results regarding collared peccary seminal plasma biochemistry indicating there are important correlations with values for semen variables that are affected by the environment in a semiarid climate.