Effects of pyridoxine supplementation or in combination with other antioxidants on motility, in vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction of goat buck spermatozoa during cryopreservation

• Cryosurvival of sperm with pyridoxine and antioxidants in semen extender studied. Cryopreserved semen samples for 30 days evaluated for sperm motility.
• Acrosome reaction and capacitation of spermatozoa were induced in vitro.
• Sperm motility improved with pyridoxine alone or combined with other antioxidants.
• Sperm cryopreserved with antioxidants improved acrosome reaction and capacitation.

Effects of semen extenders supplemented with pyridoxine or in combination with other antioxidants on motility, in vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction of spermatozoa obtained from West African Dwarf (WAD) goat bucks during cryopreservation were studied. Tris-based extenders supplemented with 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM of pyridoxine in study I, and 2 mM of pyridoxine (P) supplementation combined with 2 mM of vitamin E, vitamin C and melatonin (PE, PC, PM and PCEM) each in study II, were diluted with pooled semen samples. Sperm motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction were assessed following cryopreservation. The results showed higher (P < 0.05) sperm motility and acrosome reaction in extenders supplemented with pyridoxine alone or combined with vitamin C, vitamin E and melatonin compared to the control. The improvement in sperm motility was optimal in extenders supplemented with 6 mM and PC while the highest percentage of capacitation was observed in extenders supplemented with 4 mM, 6 mM, PE and PCEM compared to other treatments and the control (P < 0.05). The findings revealed that pyridoxine alone at 6 mM was consistently effective for improving motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction of cryopreserved spermatozoa in Tris-egg yolk extender of WAD goat bucks during cryopreservation.