Effect of antioxidants on the motility and viability of cooled stallion spermatozoa.

The research aims to investigate the role of antioxidants in preserving the movement and life of cooled horse sperm over a period of 48 hours. The study found that certain combinations of antioxidants and semen extenders resulted in higher percentages of viable and mobile sperm.

Research Objective

• The main aim of this study was to observe if the inclusion of antioxidants within semen extenders managed to sustain the movement and vitality of horse sperm that was stored at 5 degrees celsius over the duration of 48 hours.

Methodology

• Semen samples were gathered from a total of ten stallions, processed to eliminate the seminal plasma.
• The study compared five antioxidant treatments (no antioxidants, xanthurenic acid, glutathione, taurine, and hypotaurine) each integrated into three different semen extender options (skimmed milk, skimmed milk + egg yolk, and cream gel extenders).
• The sperm were then suspended in the fifteen treatments resulting from the combination of the three extenders and five antioxidant treatments.
• Segments of each sample were then examined for sperm movement and vitality at three points in time (starting time, 24 and 48 hours).

Results

• Significantly more live and moving sperm were maintained over a 48 hour period in the skimmed milk + egg yolk extender compared to the other extenders and treatments.
• Of note, xanthurenic acid, when added to the media, managed to maintain a higher percentage of progressively mobile sperm and also higher sperm velocities after 24 and 48 hour durations compared to the other antioxidants.
• The percentages of live sperm present within each of the three extenders were found to be similar after 0 and 24 hour durations.
• However, after 48 hours, the highest percentages of live sperm were maintained in the skimmed milk + egg yolk extender while the lowest was found in the cream gel extender.

Conclusion

• The results of this study suggest that the addition of the antioxidant xanthurenic acid to horse sperm extender can help improve the movement of horse sperm incubated for 48 hours at 5 degrees celsius compared to media control.