Quality and fertilizing capacity of boar spermatozoa during liquid storage in extender supplemented with different antibiotics.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of antibiotics on quality parameters and fertilizing capacity of boar sperm during liquid preservation. In the first experiment, semen was diluted in an extender containing 200 µg/mL of gentamicin as a control and diluted in a modified extenders: Ext I (contained 200 µg/mL florfenicol), Ext II (contained 200 µg/mL polymyxin B), Ext III (contained 100 µg/mL gentamicin and 100 µg/mL florfenicol) and Ext IV (contained 100 µg/mL gentamicin and 100 µg/mL polymyxin B). The semen was stored for ten days. Sperm quality was evaluated based on the motility (CASA; TM: total motility; PM: progressive motility), membrane integrity (YO-PRO-1/PI assay), mitochondrial activity (JC-1) and DNA integrity (TUNEL). The highest PM% (62.5 ± 9.6) was observed in Ext III at Day 6 of storage. The highest sperm viability and mitochondrial transmembrane potential was noticed at the end of the storage period in Ext III. Long-term storage did not induce DNA fragmentation in the extenders analyzed. In the second experiment, semen diluted in the control extender and in the extender providing the highest quality spermatozoa on Day 10 (Ext III) was used for artificial insemination (AI) of synchronized gilts. Our studies showed that the highest reproductive performance of inseminated gilts (pregnant gilts: 97.0%, litter size: 11.4 ± 1.2) occurred with Ext III semen dilution. The combination of 100 µg/mL gentamicin and 100 µg/mL florfenicol in the extender maintained sperm motility, membrane integrity and mitochondrial activity and enhanced the higher reproduction success.

Fertility of boar semen cryopreserved in extender supplemented with butylated hydroxytoluene.

The present study was to determine the effect of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on quality and fertilizing ability of frozen-thawed boar semen. In the first experiment, five crossbreds of Polish Landrace and Large White boars (five ejaculates per boar) were frozen in 0.5 mL straws after dilution with lactose-egg yolk-glycerol extender supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mM BHT. The sperm quality was verified based on the motility (computer-assisted sperm analysis; total motility, %; progressive motility, %), membrane integrity (YO-PRO-1/propidium iodide [PI] assay), acrosome integrity (fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated with peanut agglutinin/PI), and lipid peroxidation (chemiluminescence method) at 15 minutes postthaw. In the second experiment, the semen cryopreserved in extender supplemented with 1.0 and 2.0 mM BHT were selected for intrauterine artificial insemination of synchronized gilts. An intrauterine artificial insemination with low numbers of spermatozoa (500 × 10(6)) was surgically infused into each uterine horn. The highest (P < 0.001) progressive motility (%), membrane integrity, and acrosomal integrity were noted by the addition of 1.0 and 2.0 mM BHT to the freezing extender. Moreover, the various concentrations (0.5-2.0 mM) of BHT caused a considerable decrease in lipid peroxidation in relation to the control extender (P < 0.001). The highest reproductive performance of inseminated gilts (farrowing rate, 86.7%; litter size, 10.8 ± 1.6) was observed when semen was cryopreserved in extender supplemented with 1.0 mM BHT. These findings demonstrate that the addition of 1.0 mM BHT to the freezing extender efficiently improves the fertilizing ability of postthaw boar spermatozoa.

Effects of protein source, vitamin E and phenazine ethosulfate on developmental competence and quality of porcine embryos cultured in vitro.

Effects of fetal calf serum (FCS) or bovine serum albumin (BSA), with or without vitamin E (vit. E) or phenazine ethosulfate (PES) supplementation on developmental competence and quality of cultured porcine embryos were examined. The experiment was done on zygotes and 2-cell embryos obtained from superovulated gilts. Morphologically normal zygotes were cultured in vitro in NCSU-23 medium supplemented with: experiment 1-0.004 g/ml BSA, 10% FCS, protein-free (control); experiment 2-0 (control), 25, 50 or 100 microM vit. E; experiment 3-0 (control), 0.025, 0.05 or 0.075 microM PES. Embryo quality criteria were developmental competence (cleavage, morula and blastocyst rates), total cell number per blastocyst and degree of apoptosis as assessed by TUNEL staining. Presence of BSA in culture medium increased significantly morula and blastocysts production as compared to FCS (P < 0.001) and protein-free group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). The blastocysts cultured in protein-free medium had higher average number of apoptotic nuclei and DNA fragmented nucleus index as compared to the BSA (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and FCS (P < 0.5) group. Supplementation in culture medium of 100 microM vit. E increased blastocyst production as compared to control and 50 microM vit-E (P < 0.05). Both the number of cells per and percentage of TUNEL positive nuclei per blastocyst were slightly lower in PES treated than control groups.