Search

Background: With the increasing application of artificial insemination technology in boars, breeding efficiency is largely determined by the quality of semen preservation. With the prolonged storage of semen at room temperature in vitro, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage organelles and plasma membranes and ultimately lead to a decline in semen quality. Methods: In order to improve the preservation of semen at 17°C, this experiment investigated the effect of different concentrations (0, 10, 15, 25, 35 µg/mL) of coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) in Modena dilution on the quality of boar semen during storage at 17°C. The sperm motility, mitochondrial activity, total antioxidant (T-A°C), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed at 17°C at different times (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 d). Result: The results showed that the addition of Co-Q10 has a positive effect during the preservation of boar semen at 17°C. On the 5th day, the sperm motility of the 25 µg/mL Co-Q10 group was 73.80% and the mitochondrial activity was 82.94%, which was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of other groups. In terms of antioxidant levels, the MDA content of the 25 µg/ml and 35 µg/ml Co-Q10 groups on the 5th day was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the other groups. At the same time, the 25 µg/ml group could effectively enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the SOD and T-AOC were 17.33 U/mL and 3.17 U/mL on the 5th day significantly higher than the other groups (P<0.05). The results showed that the most appropriate concentration of Co-Q10 when storing boar semen at 17°C was 25 µg/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of negative pressure applied before storage on the gene expression of motility related proteins in boar spermatozoa. Methods: Boar semen samples were collected and pooled and diluted with Modena solution containing 0.4% (w/v) of bovine serum albumin. Negative pressure was applied for 2-5 min using a vacuum pump with a barometer. The pressure applied was 0 (Control), - 0.02 MPa (P2), -0.04 MPa (P4) and -0.08 MPa (P8). The expression of AQN-1, AQN-3, AWN, PSP-I, PSP-II gene in boar spermatozoa was evaluated. Result: Application of -0.04 MPa improved the sperm motility compared with the other groups. In conclusion, our results confirmed thatnegative pressure preservation at 17°C had an effect on the expression of boar sperm adhesion protein gene. The relative expression of AWN0PSP-I and PSP-II genes in boar sperm were lower under -0.04 MPa and -0.08 MPa pressure, which was beneficial to protect spermatozoa motility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]