An Examination of seminal fluid ⁶⁵Zn transfer from male to female rats through copulation / by Scott J. Fin.
| Author/creator | Fin, Scott J. author. |
| Other author | McNeill, M. Evelyn, degree supervisor. |
| Other author | Christian, Robert R. (Robert Raymond), 1947- degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1989. |
| Description | v, 69 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a substance in the seminal fluid may be absorbed through the female reproductive tract during, or subsequent to sexual intercourse, gain access to the systemic circulation and be transported to tissues remote from and unrelated to the reproductive tract. Sprague-Dawley rats were used as the model animal, and the radioisotope "Zn was used as the test substance. Female rats copulated with male rats that had previously been injected with ⁶⁵Zn. Female rats were sacrificed and 18 samples were removed from each animal and analyzed for the presence of radioactivity. Results from one pilot study verified that ⁶⁵Zn applied directly to the vagina was absorbed and transported throughout the body. A second pilot study, involving electroejaculation of a male rat, demonstrated that ⁶⁵Zn was detectable in the seminal fluid following an intraperitoneal injection of ⁶⁵Zn. The results from the experiment showed that all female rats copulating with ⁶⁵Zn-injected males had detectable radioactivity in at least 2 samples. Four of 10 females had a substantial amount of radioactivity in the reproductive tract and widespread radioactivity in other parts of the body, suggesting that absorption and systemic transport of ⁶⁵Zn from the reproductive tract did occur. No radioactivity was detectable in the control females who copulated with non-radioactive males. In 3 of the 4 female rats with a coagulum (copulatory plug), radioactivity was present in all 3 brain regions sampled (anterior cerebrum, posterior cerebrum and cerebellum/brain stem) and in the fourth rat radioactivity was present in 2 of 3 regions. Although the radioactivity in the brain was relatively low when compared with other samples analyzed, the fact that ⁶⁵Zn reached the brain after entering the reproductive tract during copulation suggests a possible connection between male copulatory products and female brain function. The demonstrated entrance of the test substance into the female invites provocative possibilities concerning the possible entrance of pathogens, drugs and behavior altering compounds. Continued study with other chemical compounds and pathogens will help in developing more definite conclusions about the implications for human physiology and pathology of the noncellular portion of the seminal fluid. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the Department of Biology. |
| General note | Advisor: M. Evelyn McNeill |
| General note | Advisor: Robert R. Christian |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1989 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53). |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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