| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2095910 | Theriogenology | 2008 | 8 Pages |
Antioxidants partially ameliorated the negative effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during cryopreservation. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of cysteine and a water-soluble vitamin E analogue on the quality of frozen-thawed epididymal cat spermatozoa. Epididymal spermatozoa were collected from eight male cats and divided into three aliquots; these were resuspended with a tris egg yolk extender I (EE-I), or the same extender supplemented with 5 mM dl-cysteine (EE-C) or with 5 mM of a water-soluble vitamin E analogue (EE-Ve). Prior to the freezing step, sperm suspensions were added to the extender with Equex STM paste (EE-II). Sperm motility, progressive motility, membrane integrity, and acrosome status were evaluated at collection, after cooling, and at 0, 2, 4, and 6 h post-thaw. Sperm DNA integrity was evaluated at 0 and 6 h post-thaw. Relative to the control group, supplementation with vitamin E improved (P < 0.05) post-thaw motility (69.4 ± 5.6%), progressive motility (3.9 ± 0.3), and membrane integrity (65.1 ± 8.1%) immediately after thawing, whereas cysteine supplementation improved (P < 0.05) post-thaw motility after 2 h of incubation (53.8 ± 12.2%) and DNA integrity after 6 h (84.1 ± 4.4%). However, neither antioxidant significantly increased the acrosome integrity of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. In conclusion, cysteine or vitamin E supplementation of tris egg yolk extender improved motility, progressive motility and integrity of the sperm membrane and DNA of frozen-thawed epididymal cat spermatozoa.
