title: Favoring the birth of female puppies after artificial insemination using chilled semen diluted with powdered coconut water (ACP-106c).
abstract: The objective was to determine the effect of powdered coconut water extender (ACP-106c) on the proportion of female puppies born. Twenty French Bulldog bitches were subjected to natural mating (NM) and, during the subsequent two estrus periods, were bred by intravaginal artificial insemination (AI), using chilled semen (from the same males) diluted in Tris-egg yolk (AI-Tris) or ACP-106c (AI-ACP-106c). Fresh semen was cooled to 5 °C and maintained at that temperature for 6 h, rewarmed (37 °C for 30 s), and used for AI. Pregnancy and whelping rates following NM were both 100% and were both 90.0% following AI with either extender. Litter size (mean ± SD) was 5.4 ±1.1, 4.7 ± 2.0, and 5.1 ± 2.0 (P > 0.05) for NM, AI-Tris, and AI-ACP-106c, respectively. Furthermore, for these groups, the number of female vs. male puppies born were 2.6 ± 0.6 vs. 2.8 ± 1.0, 2.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.5 ± 1.1, and 3.4 ± 1.6 vs. 1.8 ± 1.2 (P < 0.05 for AI-ACP-106c only). In conclusion, our hypothesis was supported; AI of semen in ACP-106c extender resulted in a significantly higher proportion of female puppies. Furthermore, this extender yielded acceptable litter size and rates of pregnancy and whelping.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Carnivore Reproduction, Veterinary College, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Couto
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Uchoa
authors.forename: Ticiana Franco Pereira
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Janaína de Fátima Saraiva
authors.initials: Jde F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Antônio Cavalcante
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mota Filho
authors.forename: Ricardo Parente
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Jucá
authors.forename: Alexandre Rodrigues
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Lúcia Daniel Machado
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003059:Cocos / Q000737:chemistry*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D012743:Sex Preselection / Q000662:veterinary*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water