Effect of adding different concentrations of L-arginine to Tris-yolk extender on the quality of sub-fertile ejaculates in buffalo

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 53; no. 1; p. 103
• Main Authors: Hegazy, Mohamed M., Sakr, Abd El-Aziz M., Abd El-Aziz, Ayman H., Swelum, Ayman A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 08.01.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Arginine; Arginine - administration & dosage; Arginine - metabolism; Arginine - pharmacology; Aspartate aminotransferase; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Buffalo; Buffaloes - physiology; Cryopreservation - veterinary; Cryoprotective Agents - administration & dosage; Cryoprotective Agents - metabolism; Cryoprotective Agents - pharmacology; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements - analysis; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; L-Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactic acid; Life Sciences; Male; Motility; Neck; Regular Articles; Semen; Semen - drug effects; Semen Analysis - veterinary; Semen Preservation - methods; Semen Preservation - veterinary; Sperm; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Supplements; Tails; Vagina; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Yolk; Zoology; Poor semen; CASA; Subfertility; Arginine; Sperm; Buffalo
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02499-w

To investigate the effect of supplementation of L-arginine (AR) on sub-fertile buffalo-bulls’ ejaculates, 25 ejaculates of poor motility (40 to 55%) were collected by artificial vagina from 5 buffalo-bulls and extended with Tris-yolk extender (1:10) supplemented with different concentrations of AR (0, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mM). Semen was cooled gradually to 4 °C within 2 h and incubated at 4 °C for additional 2 h. Incubated semen samples were evaluated by computer-assisted semen analysis. Results showed that addition of 5 mM AR increased ( P  < 0.05) total sperm motility and rapid progressive motility percentages, while decreased ( P  < 0.05) non-motile sperm and static sperm percentages compared with AR-free (control) extender. Increasing the AR level to 6 mM increased ( P  < 0.05) the percentages of sperm progressive motility and rapid and slow progressive motilities, while decreased ( P  < 0.05) the non-progressive sperm motility percentages compared with AR-free extender. Supplementation of 5 mM AR improved ( P  < 0.05) sperm straight linear, curve linear, and average path velocities (36 ± 0.13, 20.6 ± 5.3, and 33.2 ± 8.5, respectively) in comparing with control and other AR treatments. Addition of AR (5 and 6 mM) improved ( P  < 0.05) the percentages of vitality (89.8 ± 1.9 and 80.0 ± 3.4, respectively), normality (44.3 ± 3.6 and 44.8 ± 1.5, respectively), and functional sperm (20.4 ± 8.6 and 21.0 ± 0.61, respectively), and decreased abnormal neck and tail percentages compared with AR-free extender. All AR levels decreased ( P  < 0.05) the abnormal neck and tail percentages. Addition of all AR levels had no significant ( P  > 0.05) effect on the activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase in semen extender. Supplementation of Tris-yolk extender with L-arginine (5 or 6 mM) can improve sperm motility, velocity, vitality, and functional sperm and can decrease tail and neck abnormalities of sub-fertile buffalo ejaculate after 4 h incubation at cool temperature.