Figure 6. Extent of lipid peroxidation in caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa of
young (4 months, n = 6) and old (21 months, n = 5) rats. Lipid peroxides were
quantified directly using a spectrophotometer following the chromogenic
detection of the reaction of lipid peroxide products with ferrous ions.
Results are expressed as µmol/L lipid peroxides per 10 x
106 cells. Data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA using the Holm-Sidak
post hoc test; *P < .001, **P < .05. Bars represent
mean ± SEM. Lipid peroxides increased significantly with age in both
caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa. Further, cauda epididymal spermatozoa
exhibited significantly higher levels of lipid peroxides compared to caput
epididymal sperm.
