Electron Microscopic and Morphometric Analysis of Wistar Rat Sperm
Abstract
The aim of the study is to image and morphologically examine epididymal sperm in
Wistar rats with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The material of the study was epididymal
sperm taken from three Wistar Rats. Routine fixation was performed on the obtained epididymal
sperm using 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution. Morphometric measurements of sperm were carried
out using scanning electron microscopy. The study focused on examining various regions of the
sperm, including the head, midpiece, and the remainder of the flagellar segment. Measurements
were taken into account in semen that preserved its integrity in different fields. Measurements of
these regions were made with the ImageJ program. As a result of the measurements, it was
determined that the average head length of rat semen was 7.821 ± 0.844 μm, the average total
flagellum length was 168.549 ± 9.19 μm and the average flagellum/head ratio was 21.550 and the
flagellum was quite long. It was observed that the measurements of the rat sperm used in the
study were consistent with the measurements of other rat sperm. When the studies were examined,
it was concluded that rat sperm has an extremely long flagellum compared to its body size. The
morphological differences of the sperms revealed will be a guide for experimental studies.
Keywords
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