Bovine embryo development after IVF with spermatozoa having abnormal morphology

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of scrotal insulation on semen samples collected from bulls on embryonic development after IVF. Semen samples were obtained and cryopreserved from four Holstein bulls before and after a scrotal insulation period of 48 h (Day 0). Three types of samples were used for IVF: (1) semen from the test bulls collected 5 d prior to scrotal insulation (pre-insult); (2) semen from Day 13 (2-week post-insult; 2-week PI); and (3) semen from Day 20 (3-week PI). After 18 h of sperm–oocyte co-incubation, the zygotes were cultured for 8 d when a developmental score (0 = degenerate, 1 = 2-cell embryo through 5 = blastocyst) was assigned to each embryo. The post-thaw morphological evaluation of sperm samples revealed a decrease (P < 0.01) in the percentages of normal spermatozoa in the 3-week PI samples in comparison with the pre-insult samples for Bulls I and III (74–22.3% and 67.7–0.5 %, respectively). The percentage of vacuolated spermatozoa increased significantly for Bull II. The cleavage and blastocyst formation rates and embryo development scores were affected (P < 0.01) by the interaction of bull by sample collection time. For Bulls I and III (severe responders) the scrotal insulation effects persisted from the time of cleavage through blastocyst formation. In contrast, the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates for Bulls II and IV were unaffected, despite high percentages of vacuolated spermatozoa present in the post-insult samples for Bull II. In conclusion, the use of scrotal insulation to elevate scrotal temperature was an effective method to obtain semen samples with high percentages of abnormal spermatozoa. The decrease in embryonic development after IVF when using spermatozoa with morphological abnormalities seemed to be multifaceted and related to changes in head morphology.