COMPARISON BETWEEN COOLED SPERM FROM EJACULATE
AND EPIDIDYMAL CAUDA
Gabriel Augusto Monteiro1, Priscilla Nascimento Guasti, Cely Marini Melo, José
Antonio Dell’Aqua Junior, José Carlos Martin, Rodrigo Carneiro, Frederico Ozanam
Papa.
Introduction: The development of a reliable technique to freeze epididymal semen
would be a unique alternative to preserve valuable genetic material from unexpectedly
lost stallions. Objectives: The present study compared the viability of equine cooled
semen collected with artificial vagina (G1), recovered from epididymal cauda
immediately post-orchiectomy (G2) and recovered from epididymal cauda stored for 24
hours at 5°C (G3). Methods: Eight stallions were used, being collected one ejaculate
from the animals of G1. The stallions were submitted to bilateral orchiectomy one week
after the semen collection, being one epidydimis flushed immediately after orchiectomy
(G2) and the other after storage at 5°C for 24 hours, using a passive container:
Botutainer®2 (G3). The epididymal cauda from G2 and G3 were flushed with BotuSêmen®2, using retrograde flushing technique. The sperm concentration was standardized
at 75x 106 viable sperm per mL being diluted with Botu-Semen®2 extender when
necessary, and then stored for 48 hours at 5°C in Botutainer®2. Results: Medium values
for sperm parameters of G1 and G2 before cooling were: a) Total Motility (TM):
77,1±8,35a; 84±5,50a; b) Progressive Motility (PM) 42±8.41a; 46.4±6.86a; c)Plasma
Membrane Integrity (PMI): 51.8±18.12b; 72.1±9.69a. Sperm parameters of cooled semen
after 24 hours were, respectively, for G1, G2 and G3: a) TM: 60.2±16.99b; 85.1±5.85a;
83.1±7.52a; b) PM: 30.8±14.22b; 46.1±8.46a; 38.3±7.14ab; c) PMI: 43.1±10.39 b;
67.8±11.92a; 66.9±13.77a; and after storage for 48 h: a)MT: 53.8±22.74b; 84±4.89a;
87.7±3.24a; b)MP: 26.4±17.55b; 43.4±7.14a; 47.8±9.79a; c)IM: 28.4±12.18b; 71.8±4.84a;
74.3±8.26a. Discussion: Before cooling, no difference was observed, except for PMI,
that was higher in G2 (p<0,05). There was no difference between G2 and G3, both for
24 and 48 hours of cooling (p>0,05). However, the values for TM, PM and PMI for
groups 2 and 3 after 24 and 48 hours of cooling were higher than G1 (p<0,05).
Conclusions: We conclude that sperm recovered from epididymal cauda seems to be
more resistant to the cooling-storage procedures, presenting better viability when
São Paulo State University – Botucatu, Brazil
Biotech, Botucatu, Brazil. E-amil: [email protected]
Acknowledgements: Financial support by FAPESP. Ethical committee: FMVZ – UNESP.
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compared to those collected with artificial vagina.
São Paulo State University – Botucatu, Brazil
Biotech, Botucatu, Brazil. E-amil: [email protected]
Acknowledgements: Financial support by FAPESP. Ethical committee: FMVZ – UNESP.
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