Assessment of semen quality and anti‐oxidative enzyme activity between bovine sex‐sorted and non‐sex‐sorted frozen–thawed semen

• Published in: Reproduction in domestic animals Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 657 - 661
• Main Authors: Guo, Yanmin, Fan, Zhaobin, Zhao, Fuwei, Ge, Shihao, Chu, Hanping, Wei, Zhongfeng, Khan, Rajwali, Faisal, Muhammad, Ayari‐Akkari, Amel, Yassin, Habab M., Zhao, Xianlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Animals; antioxidant activities; Catalase; Cattle; Cryopreservation - methods; Cryopreservation - veterinary; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Enzymes; fertility; Fertilization; Glutathione; Glutathione peroxidase; Integrity; Male; Motility; Peroxidase; Quality assessment; Semen; Semen Analysis - veterinary; Semen Preservation - methods; Semen Preservation - veterinary; semen processing; seminal plasma; Sex; sex selection; Sperm; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Superoxide Dismutase; semen; antioxidant activities; semen processing; seminal plasma; sex selection; fertility
• ISSN: 0936-6768; 1439-0531
• DOI: 10.1111/rda.14333

In the current study, the difference between the sex‐sorted and non‐sex‐sorted frozen semen of Holstein Friesian breed cattle was investigated. Significant variation (p < .05) was found in the semen quality parameters such as motility; vitality; acrosome integrity rate; the anti‐oxidative enzyme activity including GSH (glutathione); SOD (superoxide dismutase); CAT (catalase); GSH‐Px (glutathione peroxidase) and the rate of fertilization. The results showed that the sperm acrosome integrity and motility of the non‐sorted sperm were higher compared to sex‐sorted sperm (p < .05). The linearity index and mean coefficient analysis revealed that the percentage of ‘grade a’ in sex‐sorted sperm were significantly (p < .05) lower than non‐sorted sperm. Interestingly, low SOD level and high CAT level was found in the non‐sexed semen than in the sexed semen (p < .05). Furthermore, the GSH and GSH‐Px activity in the sexed semen was found lower than the non‐sexed semen (p < .05). In conclusion, sperm motility characteristics were lower in sex‐sorted semen than in non‐sex‐sorted semen. This might be related to the complex process of sexed semen production, which could reduce sperm motility and movement characteristics, acrosomal integrity, CAT, SOD, GSH and GSH‐Px, and finally lead to the decline in the fertilization rate.