title: The effect of antioxidants on motility, viability, acrosome integrity and DNA integrity of frozen-thawed epididymal cat spermatozoa.
abstract: Antioxidants partially ameliorated the negative effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during cryopreservation. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of cysteine and a water-soluble vitamin E analogue on the quality of frozen-thawed epididymal cat spermatozoa. Epididymal spermatozoa were collected from eight male cats and divided into three aliquots; these were resuspended with a tris egg yolk extender I (EE-I), or the same extender supplemented with 5mM dl-cysteine (EE-C) or with 5mM of a water-soluble vitamin E analogue (EE-Ve). Prior to the freezing step, sperm suspensions were added to the extender with Equex STM paste (EE-II). Sperm motility, progressive motility, membrane integrity, and acrosome status were evaluated at collection, after cooling, and at 0, 2, 4, and 6h post-thaw. Sperm DNA integrity was evaluated at 0 and 6h post-thaw. Relative to the control group, supplementation with vitamin E improved (P<0.05) post-thaw motility (69.4+/-5.6%), progressive motility (3.9+/-0.3), and membrane integrity (65.1+/-8.1%) immediately after thawing, whereas cysteine supplementation improved (P<0.05) post-thaw motility after 2h of incubation (53.8+/-12.2%) and DNA integrity after 6h (84.1+/-4.4%). However, neither antioxidant significantly increased the acrosome integrity of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. In conclusion, cysteine or vitamin E supplementation of tris egg yolk extender improved motility, progressive motility and integrity of the sperm membrane and DNA of frozen-thawed epididymal cat spermatozoa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, P.O. Box 7054, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thuwanut
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chatdarong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Techakumphu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Axnér
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002415:Cats / Q000502:physiology*; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary; D003545:Cysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000502:physiology*; D004530:Egg Yolk; D008297:Male; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000662:veterinary*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014325:Tromethamine; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014325:Tromethamine; D014810:Vitamin E; D003545:Cysteine