STIMULATION OF RESPIRATION OF RABBIT, HUMAN AND COCK SPERMATOZOA BY LIGHT AND CERTAIN CHEMICALS

Summary. Rabbit, human and cock spermatozoa collected and washed without exposure to light respired very slowly or not at all. Brief exposure to white light of less than a minute's duration stimulated normal rates of respiration. Ubiquinone (UQ, Co-enzyme Q), seminal plasma, in-utero incubation, and dinitrophenol each markedly stimulated the respiration of spermatozoa protected from light. Ubiquinone10 was effective with cock spermatozoa while UQ1 was superior to UQ3 or UQ4 with rabbit spermatozoa. Ubiquinone1 appeared more effective than UQ3 for human spermatozoa