Coconut Water as an Extender Component for Cooled Equine Sperm.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of coconut water as a component of extender in different formulations for cooling equine sperm. One ejaculate of fourteen stallions was collected. Sperm was diluted to 50 × 10 sperm/mL using five different extenders: ACP-105: powdered coconut water extender (ACP-105, ACP Biotecnologia, Brazil); ACP-Milk: ACP-105 + 20 g/L of skimmed milk; ACP-EY 2.5%: ACP-105 + 2.5% of egg yolk; ACP-EY 5%: ACP-105 + 5% of egg yolk; and BotuSêmen (Botupharma, Botucatu, Brazil) and cooled in passive cooling device (BotuFlex, Botupharma, Botucatu, Brazil) at 5 and 15°C for 24 hours. Sperm kinetics and plasma membrane integrity (PMI) were evaluated by computer-assisted sperm analysis and fluorescence staining, respectively, at T0 (before cooling) and T24 (24 hours after cooling). Sperm kinetics did not differ at T0 among groups (P > .05); however, at T24, these parameters were significantly lower in ACP-105 (5°C, total motility [TM]: 9.2 ± 3.6%; progressive motility [PM]: 2.7 ± 1.6%; percentage of fast-moving spermatozoa [RAP]: 4.8 ± 3.0%; 15°C, TM: 10.6 ± 3.0%; PM: 1.1 ± 0.5%; RAP: 4.8 ± 1.9%) and ACP-EY 5% (5°C, TM: 28.0 ± 6.3%; PM: 5.7 ± 1.8%; RAP: 15.9 ± 6.0%; 15°C, TM: 30.0 ± 6.0%; PM: 6.9 ± 2.1%; RAP: 17.6 ± 5.3%) compared with BotuSêmen (5°C, TM: 66.2 ± 5.6%; PM: 21.1 ± 2.8%; RAP: 53.9 ± 6.1%; 15°C, TM: 63.4 ± 5.4%; PM: 17.2 ± 2.8%; RAP: 51.4 ± 6.3%) (P .05). Further studies are necessary to evaluate powdered coconut water in different compositions of sperm extender; however, coconut-based extender as used in this study was not an alternative to preserve sperm parameters of cooled equine sperm.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-04-17 PubMed ID: 31203987DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.03.213Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research examines the effects of coconut water, when used in varying formulas, for cooling equine (horse) sperm. The findings suggest that the use of a coconut water-based extender resulted in significantly lower sperm motility rate compared to a commercial product, but the integrity of sperm membrane post-cooling was similar across all tested groups.
Objective and Methodology
- The study aimed to analyze the impact of using coconut water as a component in extenders for cooling equine sperm.
- The researchers took semen samples from fourteen stallions.
- Five separate extenders were prepared, all with different compositions including powdered coconut water, egg yolk, and skimmed milk. One of the extenders was a commercial product called BotuSêmen.
- The semen was diluted with each extender individually and then cooled to 5 and 15°C for a duration of 24 hours using a passive cooling device.
Measurements and Outcomes
- The qualities of the sperm such as sperm kinetics and the integrity of the plasma membrane (PMI) were measured before cooling (T0) and after 24 hours of cooling (T24).
- Computer-assisted sperm analysis and fluorescence staining techniques were used to assess these factors.
- At T0, there were no significant differences in sperm kinetics among the groups.
- However, after cooling, the sperm motility rate (total movement [TM], progressive movement [PM], and the proportion of fast-moving sperm [RAP]) was found to be significantly lower in the groups using the coconut water-only extender (ACP-105) and the one with 5% egg yolk (ACP-EY 5%) as opposed to the BotuSêmen group.
- In terms of PMI, all groups showed similar levels at both temperatures (5°C and 15°C), signifying that the cooling process did not adversely affect the sperm membrane’s integrity across different extenders.
Conclusion
- The results drawn from this study indicated that the coconut water-based extender as used in the experiments could not effectively preserve the motility qualities of cooled equine sperm.
- Although the plasma membrane integrity remained unaffected across all tested extenders, the preservation of sperm kinetics was found to be sub-optimal with the use of coconut water-based extenders.
- Further investigation is suggested to explore different compositions of the coconut water-based extender for potential improvements.
Cite This Article
APA
Brasileiro LS, Segabinazzi LGTM, Menezes E, Salgueiro CC, Novello G, Scheeren VFDC, Alvarenga MA, Nunes JF.
(2019).
Coconut Water as an Extender Component for Cooled Equine Sperm.
J Equine Vet Sci, 78, 69-73.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.03.213 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil. Electronic address: marco.alvarenga@unesp.br.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Brazil
- Cocos
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Semen Preservation / veterinary
- Sperm Motility
- Spermatozoa
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