Fertility of ewes inseminated intrauterinally with frozen semen using extender containing bovine serum albumin.
The present study was conducted to examine the fertility of ewes inseminated intrauterinally with frozen semen using semen extender containing either egg yolk or bovine serum albumin (BSA). Sixty Suffolk and cross-bred ewes were treated with controlled internal drug release (CIDR) devices during the non-breeding season (July 2006). A CIDR was inserted into the vagina for 12 days and an intramuscular injection of 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin was administered one day before its removal. Ejaculates from a suffolk ram were diluted with a Tris-based extender containing either 15% (v/v) egg yolk or 10% (w/v) BSA, and the diluted semen was frozen in 0.25 ml straws. A fixed-time intrauterine artificial insemination (AI) was performed 43-47 h after CIDR removal, regardless of incidence of estrus. There was no significant difference in pregnancy rates at 60 days after AI between the extenders containing egg yolk (66.7%, 20/30 animals) or BSA (65.5%, 19/29 animals). Furthermore, there were no significant difference in the lambing rates (66.7% and 62.1%) and prolificacy (1.25 and 1.56) between the two semen extenders. The present study indicates that a semi-defined semen extender containing 10% BSA produces fertility after intrauterine AI that is similar to that achieved with semen extender containing egg yolk.
Fukui
Yutaka
Y
Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Department of Animal Production Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan. fukui@obihiro.ac.jp
Kohno
Hirohide
H
Togari
Tetsuro
T
Hiwasa
Mami
M
D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012661:Semen; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012756:Sheep; D014599:Uterus
D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine