Use of Glutamine and Low Density Lipoproteins Isolated from Egg Yolk to Improve Buck Semen Freezing

• Published in: Reproduction in domestic animals Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 429 - 436
• Main Authors: Ali Al Ahmad, MZ, Chatagnon, G, Amirat-Briand, L, Moussa, M, Tainturier, D, Anton, M, Fieni, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2008; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science; Wiley
• Subjects: Acrosome - drug effects; Acrosome - physiology; Acrosome Reaction - drug effects; Acrosome Reaction - physiology; Agricultural sciences; Animal reproduction; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body fluids; Cryogenic engineering; Cryopreservation - methods; Cryopreservation - veterinary; Cryoprotective Agents - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Egg Yolk - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutamine - pharmacology; Goats; Goats - physiology; Life Sciences; Lipoproteins, LDL - pharmacology; Low density lipoprotein; Male; Males; Mammalian reproduction. General aspects; Semen - cytology; Semen - drug effects; Semen - physiology; Semen Preservation - methods; Semen Preservation - veterinary; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Sperm Motility - physiology; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Spermatozoa - physiology; Vertebrates: reproduction; Lipoprotein LDL; Egg yolk; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Semen; Aminoacid; Freezing; Glutamine; EGG YOLK; FREEZING; BUCK; GLUTAMINE; SEMEN; LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN; CRYOPROTECTION; MOTILITY
• ISSN: 0936-6768; 1439-0531
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2007.00930.x

To improve the results obtained with a reference cryopreservation extender (control extender: Triladyl® + 20% (v/v) egg yolk + 6.4% (v/v) glycerol) for freezing caprine semen, glutamine was added to 18 split ejaculates at concentrations of 0, 20, 40, 80 and 120 m m (experiment 1). In experiment 2, glutamine was added to 18 split ejaculates at concentrations of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 m m. In the third experiment, the egg yolk was replaced with the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction of egg yolk. The quality of frozen then thawed spermatozoa in each extender was compared using computer-assisted semen analysis. In experiment 1, glutamine at concentrations of 20 m m and 40 m m significantly improved sperm motility compared with the control extender. However, at 120 m m, a significant decrease in motility and velocity was observed. In experiment 2, motility, curvilinear velocity and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) were improved in glutamine at 25 m m compared with the control. In experiment 3, 8% LDL and 25 m m glutamine significantly improved sperm motility, straight line velocity and ALH. In the fourth experiment, the quality of the previously defined freezing extender (Triladyl® + 8% (v/v) LDL + 25 m m glutamine + 6.4% (v/v) glycerol) was tested by comparing acrosome, tail membrane, plasma membrane and DNA integrity in 18 split ejaculates of frozen then thawed spermatozoa with spermatozoa that had been frozen then thawed in the control extender, and with spermatozoa from fresh, unfrozen sperm. The percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes and tail membranes was significantly higher with the newly defined extender than that observed with the control extender. There was no significant difference in the percentage of spermatozoa with intact DNA between the frozen and fresh semen.