Integrating Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Proteomics for Semen Quality Biosensing
ORCID
Dlamini: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3644-6576; Santos-Rivera: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3356-6276; Vance-Kouba: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8466-6077; Feugang: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1376-5059
MSU Affiliation
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Plant Pathology and Entomology; Institute of Genomics, Biocomputing and Bioinformatics
Creation Date
2026-10-30
Abstract
Artificial insemination (AI) is a key breeding technique in the swine industry; however, the lack of reliable biomarkers for semen quality limits its effectiveness. Seminal plasma (SP) contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that present a promising, non-invasive biomarker for semen quality. This study explores the biochemical profiles of boar SP to assess semen quality through near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and proteomics of SP-EVs. Fresh semen from mature Duroc boars was evaluated based on sperm motility, classifying samples as Passed (≥70%) or Failed (< 70%). NIRS analysis identified distinct variations in water structures at specific wavelengths (C1, C5, C12 nm), achieving high accuracy (92.2%), sensitivity (94.2%), and specificity (90.3%) through PCA-LDA. Proteomic analysis of SP-EVs revealed 218 proteins in Passed and 238 in Failed samples. Nexin-1 and seminal plasma protein pB1 were upregulated in Passed samples, while LGALS3BP was downregulated. The functional analysis highlighted pathways associated with single fertilization, filament organization, and glutathione metabolism in Passed samples. Integrating NIRS with SP-EV proteomics provides a robust approach to non-invasive assessment of semen quality. These findings suggest that SP-EVs could serve as effective biosensors for rapid semen quality assessment, enabling better boar semen selection and enhancing AI practices in swine breeding.
Keywords
biomarkers, biosensing, extracellular vesicles, male fertility, NIRS, pig, proteomics, semen quality, seminal plasma
Publication Date
7-15-2025
Publication Title
Biosensors
Publisher
MDPI
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights
© 2025 by the authors
Recommended Citation
Dlamini, N. H., Santos-Rivera, M., Vance-Kouba, C. K., Pechanova, O., Pechan, T., & Feugang, J. M. (2025). Integrating Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Proteomics for Semen Quality Biosensing. Biosensors, 15(7), 456. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15070456
