Effect of Arginine-Induced Motility and Capacitation on RNA Population in Goat Spermatozoa

In vitro capacitation is essential in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for embryo production. Recently, arginine has been proven to enhance capacitation in mammalian spermatozoa. However, the detailed mechanism of action of arginine remains elusive. This study investigated the effect of arginine-induced capacitation and motility enhancement on the spermatozoal RNA (spRNA) population in goats. Goat spermatozoa were treated with arginine for up to six hours and compared with non-treated or PHE (penicillamine, hypotaurine, and epinephrine)-treated spermatozoa at different intervals (0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours). Sperm parameters, including viability, individual motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, and ROS production, were evaluated. The spRNA population was analyzed by short-read RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The percentage of capacitated (73.21 ± 4.22