Correlations Amongst Functional and Morphological Attributes and Oxidative Markers of Fresh and Cryopreserved Semen of Gir and Murrah Bulls

Authors

  • Tapasvi M Patel Department of Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, AAU, Anand-388 001, India
  • AJ Dhami Department of Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, AAU, Anand-388 001, India
  • DV Chaudhri Department of Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, AAU, Anand-388 001, India

Keywords:

Bovine semen, Correlations, Fresh semen, Frozen-thawed semen, Oxidative markers, Spermatozoal attributes

Abstract

This study was undertaken during the winter season on healthy mature Gir cattle and Murrah buffalo bulls (n=3 each). The semen
samples (6 ejaculates/bull, total 36 ejaculates) collected in the morning using artificial vagina were evaluated for routine seminal
attributes, including acrosomal and plasma membrane integrity. The samples were then diluted @ 100 million sperm/ml with tris fructose
yolk glycerol extender without and with sericin @ 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% (w/v), filled in French mini-straws, and frozen in LN2 using
biofreezer as per standard freezing protocol. Straws were thawed in water bath at 37°C for 30 sec and evaluated for post-thaw quality,
viz., motility, viability, morphology, acrosome integrity and plasma membrane integrity (HOST). Lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde -
MDA production) and activities of enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were assessed as oxidative
markers in seminal plasma of freshly diluted and frozen-thawed semen samples. Sericn at 0.5% level significantly (p<0.01) improved
the post-thaw sperm quality with reduced oxidative stress in both the species. The breed-wise correlation coefficients (r) among sperm
quality attributes and oxidative markers were studied in fresh and frozen-thawed semen of each species, and also for fresh with frozenthawed semen. The findings revealed significant interrelationships amongst most of the attributes of fresh as well as post-thawed
semen and also of fresh semen attributes with those of cryopreserved semen including oxidative markers in both the species. Sperm
motility estimation in fresh, pre-freeze and post-thawed semen was a legitimately good indicator of quality of spermatozoa at various
steps of semen processing/freezing, and its fertilizing potential. Thus, the sperm motility, HOS test and either MDA or SOD/GPx activity
alone may be used as valuable and practical tools for routine assessment of bovine semen quality considering significant correlations
found between them.

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Published

2020-03-09