[Effects of a metabolic endurance test developed for the constitution examination of young bulls on spermatologic and...

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of an eight day starvation period on semen characteristics and some endocrine parameters of young bulls. The experiments were performed with 18 bulls in two trials showing the following set-up: pre-treatment period (7 or 20 days), starvation period (8 days), realimentation period (3 days) and control period (64 days). During the pre-treatment period and the control period the bulls obtained a well-balanced food-ration, during the period of starvation only 2 kg straw daily. During the starvation period the bulls lost 6% of their bodyweight. No influence on general health could be noticed. The concentrations of testosterone, LH, bovine growth hormone, insulin and insulin-like growth factor decreased significantly during or after the period of starvation. There was no clear influence in volume, sperm density and total number of sperm due to the metabolic stress during the hunger period. The initial progressive motility of sperm was not affected. The percentage of morphological abnormal spermatozoa increased 45-55 days after the hunger period. Simultaneously the semen freezability was decreased. An influence on the acrosomal morphology of frozen/thawed spermatozoa could not be obtained. The concentration of fructose, citric acid and glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC) of the seminal plasma was insignificantly influenced during the period of starvation. The realimentation caused a stimulating effect on the secretion mainly of GPC.