title: Storage of sexed boar spermatozoa: Limits and perspectives.
abstract: Despite the great potential application of sex-sorted spermatozoa in swine, the technology is not practiced in the pig industry because of technical factors and species-specific issues. The susceptibility of boar spermatozoa to stresses induced by the sorting procedure, the relative slowness of the sex-sorting process together with the high sperm numbers required for routine artificial insemination in pig are some of the main factors limiting the commercial application of this technology in pigs. This review briefly describes the damage to spermatozoa during sex sorting, focusing on an additional limiting factor: increased susceptibility of sexed boar spermatozoa to injuries induced by liquid storage and cryopreservation that, in turn, impairs sperm quality leading to unsatisfactory results in vivo. Strategies to extend the lifespan of sex-sorted boar spermatozoa and to improve their fertilizing ability after liquid storage or cryopreservation need to be implemented before this technology can be used in pig farms. In this regard, encapsulation in barium alginate membranes could be a promising technique to optimize the in vivo use of sexed boar spermatozoa, by protecting, targeting, and controlling the release of sperm into the female genital tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences-DIMEVET, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: marcella.spinaci@unibo.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spinaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perteghella
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chlapanidas
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences-DIMEVET, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galeati
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vigo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences-DIMEVET, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamanini
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences-DIMEVET, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bucci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000662:veterinary*; D012743:Sex Preselection; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Liquid and frozen sexed semen; Pig; Sperm encapsulation; Sperm sexing