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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Influence of Cryopreservation on the Acrosome Reaction in Hu...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2025; 15(13); 1915; doi: 10.3390/ani15131915

Influence of Cryopreservation on the Acrosome Reaction in Hucul Stallion Spermatozoa.

Abstract: The Hucul horse is a Polish primitive breed with a small population size, which highlights the importance of preserving the genetic resources. The cryopreservation of semen is essential for creating gene banks, but its effect on the acrosome reaction in Hucul stallions has not yet been investigated. The acrosome reaction is one of the most important physiological events associated with the fertilization process. Therefore, our goal was to determine the level of acrosome reaction in chilled and frozen/thawed Hucul stallion semen using the FluoAcro test and the SCA semen analysis system. We found that semen cryopreservation significantly reduced sperm motility and was associated with an increased percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. It should be noted, however, that, in this case, there was no negative control, and the results may reflect acrosomal damage rather than the elicited responses. Further validation of the methods with equine sperm and the inclusion of a control are recommended.
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Publication Date: 2025-06-28 PubMed ID: 40646814PubMed Central: PMC12248479DOI: 10.3390/ani15131915Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the impact of cryopreservation on the acrosome reaction in the sperm of Hucul stallions, an important breed of horse in Poland. The findings indicate that cryopreservation significantly reduces sperm motility and results in an increase in the percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa.

Objective and Importance of the Research

  • The study focuses on the Hucul horse, a rare breed from Poland, and emphasizes the importance of preserving its genetic resources.
  • This is particularly relevant as the population size of this breed is small. Thus, semen cryopreservation becomes crucial for establishing gene banks.
  • However, the impact of cryopreservation on a crucial physiological event associated with fertilization, known as the acrosome reaction, in Hucul stallions, was unknown. This research aimed to close that knowledge gap.

Methodology

  • The researchers used the FluoAcro test and the SCA semen analysis system to determine the level of acrosome reaction. These tests were performed on both chilled and frozen/thawed Hucul stallion semen.
  • The FluoAcro test is a specific tool to evaluate the acrosome reaction in sperm, while the SCA system analyzes multiple factors impacting sperm function and thereby, its fertilizing ability.

Findings

  • It was observed that cryopreservation notably decreased sperm motility, which is the ability of the sperm to move effectively.
  • Interestingly, there was an associated rise in the percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa after cryopreservation.
  • An acrosome reaction essentially indicates the sperm’s readiness to fertilize an egg, but an increase in acrosome-reacted sperm can also suggest damage to the acrosomes, affecting the sperm’s fertilization capabilities negatively.

Limitations and Recommendations

  • The researchers noted that their study lacked a negative control, which could have provided a basis of comparison to understand the extent of acrosomal damage after cryopreservation.
  • They suggest that the observed increase in acrosome-reacted spermatozoa might be indicative of acrosomal damage, but without a control, this conclusion can’t be definitively drawn.
  • This uncertainty leads them to recommend further validation of their methods, emphasizing the need to include a control in future studies with equine sperm.

Cite This Article

APA
Bugno-Poniewierska M, Bielecka M, Pietras N, Kij-Mitka B, Podstawski Z, Długosz B. (2025). Influence of Cryopreservation on the Acrosome Reaction in Hucul Stallion Spermatozoa. Animals (Basel), 15(13), 1915. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131915

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 13
PII: 1915

Researcher Affiliations

Bugno-Poniewierska, Monika
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Bielecka, Monika
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Pietras, Natalia
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Kij-Mitka, Barbara
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Podstawski, Zenon
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Długosz, Bogusława
  • Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.

Grant Funding

  • subw 020013-D015 / University of Agriculture in Krakow

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of this study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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