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Background: Oxidative stress is one of the leading factors responsible for poor post‐thaw semen quality because of overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) over neutralizing antioxidants present in semen. Mainly two ROS generation sites are present in spermatozoa, that is, mitochondria and plasma membrane. Therefore, the idea of targeting these specific sites for minimization of ROS production with the compounds having known mechanism of actions was built up as a core for this research. Objective: Present study was done to investigate the effects of Mito TEMPO and acetovanillone individually and in combination on freezability of buffalo spermatozoa. Materials and Methods: For the experiment, semen extender was supplemented with Mito TEMPO (50 μM), acetovanillone (50 μM), and a combination of Mito TEMPO + acetovanillone (50 μM+ 50 μM), designated as Group II, Group III, and Group IV, respectively. Control group without any supplementation was designated as Group I. A total of 24 ejaculates with individual progressive motility (IPM) of ≥70% were selected for the study. After final dilution, filling‐sealing of straws, equilibration, and freezing were done as per the standard procedure. Semen samples were evaluated for IPM, plasma membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and cholesterol to phospholipids (C/P) ratio at both fresh and post‐thaw stages. Evaluation of ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), capacitation status (CTC assay), and in vitro fertility potential were conducted only on frozen‐thawed samples. Results: The addition of Mito TEMPO (50 μM) and acetovanillone (50 μM) individually and in combination significantly (p < 0.05) improved post‐thaw semen quality in terms of IPM, plasma membrane integrity, TAC, cholesterol content, C/P ratio, MMP, Chlortetracycline (CTC)‐Full (F) pattern, and zona binding ability of buffalo spermatozoa, while significantly (p < 0.05) reduced ROS production, lipid peroxidation, and capacitation like changes as compared to the control group. Discussion: As Mito TEMPO acts as an SOD mimetic and also detoxifies ferrous iron at the mitochondria level, it aids in neutralization of excessive ROS production and minimizes oxidative stress‐related damages that enhances the antioxidant potential of sperm mitochondria. Earlier studies also indicated improved post‐thaw semen quality in 50 μM supplemented group. The improvement observed in acetovanillone (50 μM) group might be because of inhibition of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase as this enzyme activation by various physical/chemical inducers during cryopreservation process leads to activation of CatSper channel resulting in calcium influx, premature capacitation, and acrosomal reaction like changes through activation of adenylate cyclase and cAMP/PKA‐mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm proteins. Acetovanillone also prevents NADPH oxidase–mediated inhibition of glutathione reductase activity, which has a vital role in protecting the structural and functional integrity of sperm plasma membrane. Conclusion: Results indicated beneficial effects of supplementation of Mito TEMPO and acetovanillone on sperm freezability and individual supplementation was as efficient as the combination group for sustaining post‐thaw semen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The excessive reactive oxygen species produced during semen‐freezing and ‐thawing damage the macromolecules resulting in impairment of cellular functions. Proteins are the primary targets of oxidative damage, wherein methionine residues are more prone to oxidation and get converted into methionine sulfoxide, thus affecting the protein function. The methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) catalyzes the conversion of methionine sulfoxide to methionine and restores the functionality of defective proteins. Objectives: To establish the expression of MsrA in male reproductive organs, including semen and its effect on quality of cryopreserved semen upon exogenous supplementation, taking buffalo semen as a model. Materials and methods: The expression of MsrA was established by immunohistochemistry, PCR, and Western blots. Further, the effect of recombinant MsrA (rMsrA) supplementation on the quality of cryopreserved spermatozoa was assessed in three treatment groups containing 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 µg of rMsrA/50 million spermatozoa in egg yolk glycerol extender along with a control group; wherein the post‐thaw progressive motility, viability, membrane integrity, and zona binding ability of cryopreserved spermatozoa were studied. Results: The MsrA was expressed in buffalo testis, epididymis, accessory sex glands, and spermatozoa except in seminal plasma. In group 2, the supplementation has resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) improvement as compared to the control group in mean progressive motility (47.50 ± 2.50 vs. 36.25 ± 2.63), viability (56.47 ± 1.85 vs. 48.05 ± 2.42), HOST (50.76 ± 1.73 vs. 44.29 ± 1.29), and zona binding ability of spermatozoa (149.50 ± 8.39 vs. 29.50 ± 2.85). Discussion and conclusion: In the absence of native MsrA of seminal plasma, the supplementations of rMsrA may repair the oxidatively damaged seminal plasma proteins and exposed sperm plasma membrane proteins resulting in better quality with a fivefold increase in fertilizability of frozen‐thawed spermatozoa. The findings can be extended to other species to improve the semen quality with the variation in the amounts of rMsrA supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-vitro fertilization is a routine livestock-breeding technique widely used around the world. Several studies have reported the interaction of bovine viral-diarrhea virus (BVDV) with gametes and in-vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos. Since, gene expression in BVDV-infected IVP bovine embryos is scarcely addressed. The aim of this work was to evaluate the differential expression of genes involved in immune and inflammatory response. Groups of 20–25 embryos on Day 6 (morula stage) were exposed (infected) or not (control) to an NCP-BVDV strain in SOF medium. After 24 h, embryos that reached expanded blastocyst stage were washed. Total RNA of each embryo group was extracted to determine the transcription levels of 9 specific transcripts related with antiviral and inflammatory response by SYBR Green real time quantitative (RT-qPCR). Culture media and an aliquot of the last embryos wash on Day 7 were analyzed by titration and virus isolation, respectively. A conventional PCR confirmed BVDV presence in IVP embryos. A significantly higher expression of interferon-α was observed in blastocysts exposed to NCP-BVDV compared to the controls (p < 0.05). In this study, the upregulation of INFα and TLR7 genes involved in inflammatory and immune response in BVDV-infected IVP bovine embryos is a new finding in this field. This differential expression suggest that embryonic cells could function in a manner like immune cells by recognizing and responding early to interaction with viral pathogens. These results provide new insights into the action of BVDV on the complex molecular pathways controlling bovine early embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents Stallion spermatozoa are highly dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production to achieve normal sperm function and to fuel the motility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of equine sperm under capacitating conditions to the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I by rotenone and to test whether epigallocatechin-3-gallate ( EGCG), a natural polyphenol component of green tea, could counteract this effect. After 2-h incubation of stallion spermatozoa in modified Tyrode's medium, rotenone (100 n m, 500 n m and 5 μ m) and EGCG (10, 20 and 60 μ m), alone or in combination, did not induce any significant difference on the percentage of viable cells, live sperm with active mitochondria and spermatozoa with intact acrosome. The inhibition of complex I of mitochondrial respiratory chain of stallion sperm with rotenone exerted a negative effect on heterologous ZP binding ability. EGCG at the concentrations of 10 and 20 μ m (but not of 60 μ m) induced a significant increase in the number of sperm bound to the ZP compared with that for control. Moreover, when stallion sperm were treated with rotenone 100 n m, the presence of EGCG at all the concentrations tested (10, 20 and 60 μ m) significantly increased the number of sperm bound to the ZP up to control levels, suggesting that this green tea polyphenol is able to reduce the toxicity of rotenone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]