Effect of the extender supplement Equex-STM on cryopreserved semen in the Assaf sheep.
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of adding the detergent Equex-STM to the extender used to dilute semen for cryopreservation on several indicators of sperm preservation. Two consecutive ejaculates per day were obtained from 5 Assaf sheep on two days out of every week over three alternate months. The freezing protocol involved diluting the semen in Fiser's extender, to which 0.7 percent Equex-STM was added or omitted before cryopreserving the semen in straws by exposure to nitrogen vapor. Equex-STM supplementation gave rise to significantly (p=0.05) improved sperm quality variables after different periods of freezing (0 hours, 1 week and 1 month). The variables examined were: individual motility, viability, acrosome integrity, plasma membrane integrity (HOS test) and morphological anomalies. This improvement was independent of the ram and month of testing. In a second experiment in which we incubated the semen (0 and 6 hours) at 37 degree C after thawing, Equex-STM also showed a beneficial effect on sperm quality.
Akourki
A
A
Facultad Veterinaria, Depto. de Patologia Animal (Reproduccion), Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Gil
L
L
Echegaray
A
A
Espinosa
E
E
Josa
A
A
de Blas
I
I
Gonzalez
N
N
Gallegos de la Hoya
M
M
Meque
L C
LC
D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005298:Fertility; D008297:Male; D012662:Semen Preservation; D012756:Sheep; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology