Effect of Solid Medium During Cooled Storage on Stallion Sperm Parameters.

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of cooled storage on stallion sperm in a solid phase extender, and ultimately concluded that while the solid medium wasn’t detrimental, it also didn’t enhance stallion sperm parameters.

Objective and Methodology

The study aimed to understand how cooled storage within a solid medium affects stallion sperm parameters. Stallion semen collected from 10 Crioulo stallions (over a sample size of 30) was separated into various groups. The control group was submitted to a regular semen extender, while other groups had treatment with the addition of gelatine in varying concentrations to the semen extender (1%, 2%, and 3%).

• The stallion semen was then analyzed in terms of motility, mitochondrial functionality, plasma membrane integrity, DNA, and acrosome at the start and at 24, 48, and 72-hour intervals during cooled storage at 5 degrees Celsius.

Research Findings

The analysis of the stallion sperm indicated that motility, mitochondrial functionality, as well as the integrity of the plasma membrane and acrosome, declined over the storage period. This was regardless of whether the semen was in the control group or in the gelatine enhanced groups.

• The decline in motility, mitochondrial function, plasma membrane, and acrosome integrity was consistent across all groups and did not show any statistical significance between the control and test groups.
• The DNA integrity did not show any significant changes during the storage period, suggesting that this parameter was unaffected by the cooled storage or the gelatine addition.

Conclusions

The researchers concluded that the use of a solid medium (like the gelatine enhanced semen extender) had no harmful effects on the stallion sperm parameters examined in this study.

• However, contrary to their initial hypothesis, the addition of the solid medium during cooled storage did not improve the viability of the sperm parameters compared to the control group. Thus, the efforts to prolong and preserve the spermatozoa through the solid medium and cooled storage were not successful in this case.