The Dialogue into the Sow Genital Tract: An Essential Process for Fertility

The pork meat industry is one of the most significant in the world, and artificial insemination (AI) is one of the most widely employed techniques. The increased utilization of the complete ejaculate, which contains the highest concentration of seminal plasma (SP) for inseminating sows, provides insight into the advancement of this field, with a focus on improving the health of the offspring. It has been demonstrated that SP contains immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory factors that support maternal immune tolerance and pro-angiogenic factors that support blood vessel formation and, among other functions, promote embryonic development through reproductive pathways and specific signaling to the female genital tract. These pathways involve extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are double-membraned nanovesicles secreted by most cells and represent a mode of intercellular communication through the transfer of bioactive molecules (DNAs, RNAs, miRNAs, proteins, and lipids) in their contents to target cells. An understanding of the pathways that gametes take and the interaction between them and the vesicles is crucial for elucidating the molecular processes occurring within the female reproductive tract during insemination and fertilization. Moreover, the characterization of the proteins and molecules involved is essential for advancing our knowledge of the intercellular communication between gametes and EVs.