In boar sperm capacitation L-lactate and succinate, but not pyruvate and citrate, contribute to the mitochondrial membrane potential increase as monitored via safranine O fluorescence.

Having ascertained using JC-1 as a probe that, in distinction with the controls, during capacitation boar sperm maintains high mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ), to gain some insight into the role of mitochondria in capacitation, we monitored ΔΨ generation due to externally added metabolites either in hypotonically-treated spermatozoa (HTS) or in intact cells by using safranine O as a probe. During capacitation, the addition to HTS of L-lactate and succinate but not those of pyruvate, citrate and ascorbate + TMPD resulted in increase of ΔΨ generation. Accordingly, the addition of L-lactate and succinate, but not that of citrate, to intact sperm resulted in ΔΨ generation increased in capacitation.