Effect of various extenders and taurine on survival of stallion sperm cooled to 5 degrees C.
Abstract: Stallion semen was diluted in five different extenders (dimitro-poulus onze (Dimitro's), Kenney's modified tryode (Kenney's), modified INRA82 (INRA82), egg yolk-citrate-taurine (Citrate) and EZ-Mixin) and evaluated for motility after cooling and storage at 5 degrees C for 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. EZ-Mixin extender was used as control while 70 and 100 mM of taurine were added to Dimitro's, Kenney's and INRA82 to study its effect under conditions of storage at 5 degrees C and varying processing modifications. Motility in INRA82 was 57.0, 58.4, 61.1, and 56.1% after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively and was higher (P < 0.05) than in other extenders after 48, 72, and 96 h. Motility decreased over time in Dimitro's (P < 0.05) and Kenney's (P < 0.01). Motility in INRA82 and EZ-Mixin decreased (P < 0.05) after 24 h and then remained unchanged until 96 h. In taurine (70 mM) containing extender Citrate, motility decreased throughout storage. Motility in INRA82 and Kenney's with taurine decreased (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) after 48 h, and then remained stable until 96 h only in INRA82 with taurine. Motility in INRA82 with taurine was higher (P < 0.05) than in Citrate throughout incubation, whereas motility in INRA82 with taurine was higher than in EZ-Mixin and Kenney's with taurine after 24 and 48 h, respectively. Motility in INRA82 and Kenney's with taurine improved (P < 0.05) when osmotic pressure was increased with taurine (100 mM) but not when osmotic pressure was increased with Na (+) and K (+) salts. Motility was always higher (P < 0.01) in taurine (70 mM or 100 mM) containing extenders than in non-taurine extenders, Dimitro's, INRA82, and Kenney's, when sperm were incubated for 24 h at 5 degrees C in these extenders, then washed and incubated at 39 degrees C in Sp-TALP for 12 or 24 h. In conclusion 1) INRA82 was a better extender than the other extenders tested. 2) inclusion of taurine (100 mM) in INRA82 and Kenney's improved sperm survival until 96 and 48 h, respectively, and 3) sperm preincubation for 24 h in taurine containing extenders resulted in better sperm survival when washed and stored in Sp-TALP for further 12 or 24 h.
Publication Date: 1995-11-01 PubMed ID: 16727798DOI: 10.1016/0093-691x(95)00290-oGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research investigated the effects of various liquid solutions (dubbed extenders) and the amino acid taurine on the survival rates of cooled stallion sperm. It was found that one extender called INRA82 performed better than other tested solutions, taurine inclusion led to improved sperm survival, and pre-incubating sperm in taurine-containing extenders also resulted in better survival rates.
Research Methodology
- Stallion semen was diluted in five different extenders: Dimitro’s, Kenney’s, INRA82, Citrate and EZ-Mixin.
- The semen was then cooled and stored at 5 degrees Celsius for durations of 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours.
- Additional tests were conducted where variable amounts of taurine (70 and 100 mM) were added to some of the extenders.
- After storage, the semen was evaluated for motility – the ability of sperm to move actively and efficiently, which is a important indicator of their viability.
Key Findings
- After storage, sperm in INRA82 displayed consistently high motility, significantly higher than sperm in other extenders after 48, 72, and 96 hours of storage.
- Motility decreased over time in Dimitro’s and Kenney’s extenders.
- INRA82 and EZ-Mixin showed a decrease in sperm motility after 24 hours storage but then remained stable until 96 hours.
- In the citrate extender containing taurine (70 mM), sperm motility decreased throughout the storage period.
- Sperm motility in INRA82 and Kenney’s with taurine decreased significantly after 48 hours, but then remained stable until 96 hours only in INRA82 with taurine.
- When osmotic pressure was increased with taurine (100 mM), sperm motility in INRA82 and Kenney’s with taurine improved significantly.
- Sperm pre-incubated in taurine (70 mM or 100 mM) containing extenders for 24 hours, then washed and incubated at 39 degrees Celsius in Sp-TALP for further 12 or 24 hours, consistently displayed higher motility rates.
Conclusions
- Among the tested extenders, INRA82 was identified as superior in preserving sperm motility.
- Inclusion of taurine in the extenders, particularly 100 mM in INRA82 and Kenney’s, improved sperm survival until 96 and 48 hours, respectively.
- Pre-incubation of sperm for 24 hours in taurine-containing extenders led to better survival rates when the sperm were subsequently washed and incubated in a different medium (Sp-TALP) for 12 or 24 additional hours.
Cite This Article
APA
Ijaz A, Ducharme R.
(1995).
Effect of various extenders and taurine on survival of stallion sperm cooled to 5 degrees C.
Theriogenology, 44(7), 1039-1050.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0093-691x(95)00290-o Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre d' Amelioration des Races Equines du Q, Division de la Cooperative des Inseminateurs du Q, St-Hyacinthe, Canada.
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Ommati MM, Sabouri S, Retana-Marquez S, Nategh Ahmadi H, Arjmand A, Alidaee S, Mazloomi S, Akhlagh A, Abdoli N, Niknahad H, Jamshidzadeh A, Ma Y, Azarpira N, Asefi Y, Heidari R. Taurine Improves Sperm Mitochondrial Indices, Blunts Oxidative Stress Parameters, and Enhances Steroidogenesis and Kinematics of Sperm in Lead-Exposed Mice. Reprod Sci 2023 Jun;30(6):1891-1910.
- Qamar AY, Naveed MI, Raza S, Fang X, Roy PK, Bang S, Tanga BM, Saadeldin IM, Lee S, Cho J. Role of antioxidants in fertility preservation of sperm - A narrative review. Anim Biosci 2023 Mar;36(3):385-403.
- Ramirez-Perez H, Guerrero-Netro HM, Torres-Rodríguez P, Díaz-Durán M, Boeta-Acosta AM, Diaw M. A combination of taurine and caffeine maintains sperm quality in equine semen during chilled storage. J Adv Vet Anim Res 2021 Dec;8(4):635-641.
- Surai PF, Earle-Payne K, Kidd MT. Taurine as a Natural Antioxidant: From Direct Antioxidant Effects to Protective Action in Various Toxicological Models. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021 Nov 24;10(12).
- Zhang L, Wang Y, Sohail T, Kang Y, Niu H, Sun X, Ji D, Li Y. Effects of Taurine on Sperm Quality during Room Temperature Storage in Hu Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 18;11(9).
- Silvestre MA, Yániz JL, Peña FJ, Santolaria P, Castelló-Ruiz M. Role of Antioxidants in Cooled Liquid Storage of Mammal Spermatozoa. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021 Jul 8;10(7).
- Hungerford AJ, Harrison N, Bakos HW, Aitken RJ. Development of an improved medium for the preservation of human spermatozoa. J Assist Reprod Genet 2025 Jul;42(7):2167-2180.
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