title: Inclusion of seminal plasma in sperm cryopreservation of Iberian pig.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the inclusion of seminal plasma (SP) in the freezing extender, trying to preserve as much as possible of SP with spermatozoa from Iberian pigs, thus improving the conservation of animal genetic resources of this breed. Experiment 1, evaluated the effect of substituting water with SP as diluent in the freezing media in different proportions (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), over pre-freezing (at 10°C and 5°C) and post-thawing sperm quality. The results showed that over 50% of SP in the extender, significantly decreased sperm quality in comparison to the control sample (0% SP) and the samples with 10% and 25% of SP (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the control sample and the samples with 10% and 25% SP (P>0.05), but treatment with 25% did not show significant differences between the time of incubation at 37°C after thawing (P>0.05), showing greater sperm quality resistance over time. Experiment 2, evaluated the effect of prolonged incubation period, until 480min (simulating the lifespan of sperm in the female genital tract), of sperm samples with 0%, 10% and 25% of SP. Treatment with 25% of SP maintained better sperm quality over time, compared to control sample. Significant differences were observed especially in the parameters of motility analysis (TMS, total motile spermatozoa; PMS: progressive motility spermatozoa. P<0.05). In Experiment 3, the effect of the presence of SP was evaluated during the thawing process. Although some differences were observed between treatments, these differences were not as clear as the previous experiments. In conclusion, replacement of 25% of the water by SP as diluent in the freezing extender could be considered the maximum percentage of inclusion, without harmful effects to the sperm. In addition, this proportion of SP maintained Iberian sperm quality for longer time when it was present during the freezing and thawing process.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pruebas de Porcino, Área de Investigación Ganadera, Subdirección de Investigación y Tecnología, Instituto Tecnológico Agrario, Consejería de Agricultura y Ganadería, Junta de Castilla y León, Segovia, Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gómez-Fernández
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gómez-Izquierdo
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Bulnes
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Mercado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D055101:Semen Analysis; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors