The relationship between ejaculated ram sperm mitochondrial protein synthesis and motility

Summary. D‐chloramphenicol, at concentrations of 20 and 40 μg/ml, inhibited over 80% of the newly synthesized mitochondrial proteins expressed by incorporation of ³H‐amino acid mixture. At concentrations of 20 and 40 μgml⁻¹, D‐chloramphenicol enhanced the collective motility of washed ram spermatozoa. The collective motility measured by the multichannel Reflectospermiograph system, significantly enhanced the motility wave frequencies and amplitudes by 24–17% and 65–32%, respectively. Furthermore, the longevity of the collective motility was prolonged by 12–19%. In about 20% of the cases, when the original sperm motility was low, it was found that 40 μg ml⁻¹ D‐chloramphenicol has maximum stimulation effect on sperm motility in inverse fashion. Since the mitochondria are located adjacent to the motility initiation area, it can be speculated that the mitochondrial protein(s) directly inhibiting the axonemal‐ATPase activity or indirectly blocking sperm metabolite, are essential for maintaining sperm motility. 1994 Blackwell Verlag GmbH