In vitro supplementation with unsaturated fatty acids improves boar sperm viability after storage at 6 °C

Anim Reprod Sci. 2019 Jul:206:60-68. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.05.008. Epub 2019 May 21.

Abstract

Liquid preservation of the cold-sensitive boar sperm at a lesser temperature than the standard 17 °C would reduce bacterial growth and minimize the use of antibiotics. There was assessment, therefore, of the capacity of individual fatty acids bound to fatty acid free BSA to improve sperm survival at 6 °C because oxidative stress and lipid degradation are prominent detrimental factors. Different effects of the fatty acids were observed. Supplementation with naturally occurring fatty acids (linolenic, linoleic, oleic, palmitoleic acid), which may become metabolically incorporated into sperm lipids, increased the number of motile and progressively motile sperm after 2 days of storage during a thermo-resistance test (5 h at 38 °C) to that of control samples preserved at 17 °C in pure Beltsville Thawing Solution. With the exception of linolenic acid, all naturally occurring fatty acids enhanced the number of sperm with active mitochondria after 3 days of storage. Palmitoleic acid was the most effective supplement with effects already present when sperm were re-warmed for 30 min after 2 and 7 days of storage. The non-endogenous, non-integrated timnodonic acid (20:5) had no effect on sperm variables. Because the application of individual fatty acids attached to BSA had differing effects in preserving boar sperm at 6 °C, the use of combinations of fatty acids could be more efficacious than with use of natural lipid supplements for low temperature preservation of sperm.

Keywords: Boar sperm; Fatty acid; Liquid preservation.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cold Temperature
  • Cryopreservation / veterinary*
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / pharmacology*
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Male
  • Semen Preservation / veterinary*
  • Spermatozoa / cytology*
  • Spermatozoa / drug effects
  • Spermatozoa / physiology
  • Swine

Substances

  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated