Influence of glycerol levels, diluent and post-thaw temperature on motility and acrosomal maintenance in bovine semen frozen in plastic straws

Viability of Toxoplasma gondii in cattle semen cryopreserved with different concentrations of cryoprotectant

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii can be eliminated in bovine semen. Cryopreserved semen is often used due to the fact that artificial insemination in dairy and beef cattle provides benefits in terms of production. However, little is known regarding the viability and infectivity of T. gondii tachyzoites in cryopreserved bovine semen. In the present study, cattle semen negative for T. gondii were contaminated with 1 x 106 tachyzoites (RH strain) and cryopreserved with and without different cryoprotectants, such as DMSO (concentrations of 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 8.0% and 10.0%) and glycerol (2.25%, 2.5%, 3.0%, 5.0%, 7.5% and 10.0%), followed by freezing in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). After 24 hours, the samples were thawed and inoculated in 10 mice per cryoprotectant concentration. The mice were evaluated for clinical signs of toxoplasmosis (rough coat, diarrhea, hypoactivity and sudden death) as well as serum titers of IgM and IgG and the presence of tachyzoites in the peritoneal lavage. The results revealed that T. gondii remained infective in all samples. Clinical signs of toxoplasmosis were observed in the mice beginning with the 6th day post-inoculation (DPI) and 100% lethality was found between the 7th and 9th DPI. Viable tachyzoites were recovered from peritoneal exudate of dead mice (except for the control group), with higher mean of tachyzoite counts in the intraperitoneal lavage for 5% DMSO (±3.32 x 106), 8% DMSO (±3.53 x 106), 3% glycerol (±4.75 x 106), 7.5% glycerol (±6.26 x 106) and the absence of cryoprotectant (±3.11 x 106). Seroconversion occurred in the treated groups, with titers of IgG from 1:16 to 1:128 and IgM from 1:16 to 1:512. T. gondii viability and infectivity were maintained in cattle semen during 24 hours of cryopreservation at -196°C with and without cryoprotectant. However, further studies are necessary to determine whether cryopreserved semen contributes to the spread of toxoplasmosis through artificial insemination.

Combined effects of glycerol concentration, cooling velocity, and osmolality of skim milk diluents on cryopreservation of ram spermatozoa

The interaction of glycerol concentration from 0 to 16% and cooling velocity from 1 to 100 degrees C/min on freeze-thaw survival of ram spermatozoa was studied using a diluent based on 15% skim milk (450 mOs/kg water). Optimal spermatozoa survival (percentage motility and rating) was obtained with 4 to 6% glycerol and freezing rates of 10 to 100 degrees C/min. Similar results were obtained with 8% glycerol at freezing rates of 5 to 30 degrees C/min. Although the ram spermatozoa tolerated several cooling velocities at each glycerol concentration, increasing the concentration of glycerol resulted in a downshift in the range of optimal cooling velocities. Glycerol concentrations above 8% were toxic and contributed greatly to the progressive decrease in spermatozoa survival. Comparison of the 15% skim milk diluent (450 mOs/kg water) with a 19% skim milk diluent (600 mOs/kg water) showed that optimal cryosurvival was obtained with 4 to 6% glycerol and freezing rates of 10 to 100 degrees C/min with both diluents.

Effect of semen thaw method on conception rate in four large commercial dairy heifer herds

Semen processed with procedures intended to permit a flexible thaw method is used to breed millions of cows yearly. One method of thawing straws, the "pocket thaw" is used extensively with semen prepared with these procedures. Published field data is lacking for thaw method comparisons with semen processed to permit flexible-thawing. The objective of the present study was to measure the effect of semen thaw method (warm-water or pocket thaw) over all seasons and its interaction with herds, inseminators, straw package size, and sperm number on conception rate in commercial dairy heifer herds using semen processed with procedures historically optimized for success with flexible-thawing. Professional inseminators performed 11,215 services over a 16-month period in four large herds, achieving a 67.6% conception rate. Thaw method was alternated weekly. Thaw effect on conception status, determined by 70 days non-return rate, was estimated by a generalized linear mixed model. Neither thaw method nor number of sperm per straw significantly affected probability of conception (P=0.658 and 0.769, respectively). No interactions of thaw method with herd, sperm number, season, straw size, and straw size by season were detected (P=0.297, 0.526, 0.365, 0.723, and 0.824, respectively). Bull, herd, inseminator within herd, year, season, and straw size affected conception rate (P=0.002, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.014, respectively). In conclusion, for semen processed with procedures that permit flexible-thawing, thaw method (pocket thaw versus warm-water thaw) did not affect conception rate under commercial conditions and with routine semen handling methods.

Motility and fertility of bull sperm frozen-thawed differently in egg yolk and milk extenders containing detergent

The purpose of this study was to examine survival and fertility of frozen bull sperm processed in several extenders containing a detergent mixture, sodium, and triethanolamine lauryl sulfate. Addition of .5% (vol/vol) detergent to whole milk was completely spermicidal. When 10% egg yolk (vol/vol) was included in the glycerol or nonglycerol fractions or both fractions of milk, sperm were equally well preserved in the presence of .5% detergent, and sperm survival following thawing at 4 degrees C was dramatically improved by the detergent. This improved result with the 4 degrees C thaw temperature also was obtained by adding .5% detergent to an egg yolk-Tris extender. Thawing temperatures of 30 and 50 degrees C (later for 15 s) were generally superior to 4 degrees C. A fertility trial with whole milk, whole milk-10% yolk, whole milk-10% yolk-.5% detergent, egg yolk-Tris, and egg yolk-Tris-.5% detergent was conducted. The 59-d percent nonreturns, respectively, were 73.4, 65.8, 65.6, 69.5, and 73.4. Whole milk or egg yolk-Tris plus detergent were equally superior to the other extenders for bull semen.

Glycerolation and thawing effects on bull spermatozoa frozen in detergent-treated egg yolk and whole egg extenders

Bull sperm in Experiment 1 were added to a standard egg yolk-Tris extender containing 0, .25, .5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% (vol/vol) of the detergent mixture, sodium and triethanolamine lauryl sulfate. Glycerol was added in one step to the initial extender or in three steps after cooling semen to 4 degrees C. The extended semen was packaged in .5-ml French straws and frozen over static nitrogen vapor. Thawing was at 4, 30, and 60 degrees C. There was little difference due to the method of adding glycerol provided detergent was present. Percentages of motile sperm after freezing in the six concentrations of detergent, in ascending order, were 31, 45, 52, 51, 48, and 36. Percentages of motile sperm following thawing at 4, 30, and 60 degrees C were 36.5, 46.0, and 48.6. Acrosome retention also was better preserved with the higher thaw temperatures. A second experiment, similar in design to the first one, was conducted with whole egg-Tris extender. The best results were in whole egg-Tris containing .125% detergent where post-thaw motile sperm of 70.4% greatly exceeded 30.7% without sodium and triethanolamine lauryl sulfate. Fertility of sperm frozen in yolk-Tris-detergent was equivalent to whole milk used as a control.

The effect of thawing velocity on survival and acrosomal integrity of ram spermatozoa frozen at optimal and suboptimal rates in straws

The effect of various thawing velocities on the motility and acrosomal maintenance of ram spermatozoa frozen at 20 degrees C/min (optimal) or 2 degrees C/min (suboptimal) was studied. The freeze-thaw motility and the percentage of intact acrosomes of spermatozoa frozen at 20 degrees C/min increased progressively with the thawing velocity. In semen frozen at 2 degrees C/min, motility of spermatozoa and the percentage of intact acrosomes declined drastically when the thawing velocity obtained in air at 20 degrees C was increased by thawing in water at 20 degrees C. Thawing at higher temperatures markedly increased both motility and acrosomal preservation, but the best results with semen frozen at 2 degrees C/min were lower than those obtained with semen frozen at 20 degrees C/min. The optimal freeze-thaw conditions for semen protected by 4% glycerol were freezing at 20 degrees C/min and thawing in water at 60 or 80 degrees C for 8 or 5 sec, respectively. Semen collected from rams exposed to a decreasing photoperiod exhibited higher motility after freezing and thawing than those exposed to an increasing photoperiod. However, there was no effect on acrosomal preservation after freezing at 20 degrees C/min.

The effect of glycerol concentration and cooling velocity on cryosurvival of ram spermatozoa frozen in straws

The effect of varying the concentration of glycerol from 0 to 16% on the survival of ram spermatozoa frozen at increasing rates of cooling (1-100 degrees C/min) or by direct plunging of spermatozoa in 0.5-ml straws in liquid nitrogen was studied after thawing at a constant rate (in water at 39 degrees C for 30 sec). For each glycerol concentration, the ram spermatozoa tolerated a range of cooling velocities and the best survival rates (percentage motility and rating) were obtained when the glycerol concentration was 4 or 6% and when the rate of freezing ranged from 10 to 100 degrees C/min. No spermatozoa survived in any glycerol concentration following freezing in straws plunged into liquid nitrogen. In general, the range of cooling rates shifts to lower values as the glycerol concentration increases for optimum cryosurvival. However, the toxic effect of increasing the concentration of glycerol over 8% contributes greatly to the gradual decrease in cryosurvival of spermatozoa at these particular concentrations.

Effect of p-nitrophenylglycerol on motility of rat epididymal spermatozoa

Using a convenient capillary tube assay, the antiswarming agent acting on Proteus, p-nitrophenylglycerol (PNPG), was found to have produced an antimotility effect in sperms from rat cauda epididymides.