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Predicting the cryotolerance of boar sperm through antioxidant stress.

Authors :: Wang SC
Wu YY
Chen MC
Source :: Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene [Reprod Domest Anim] 2024 Apr; Vol. 59 (4), pp. e14554.
Publication Year :: 2024
Abstract: High sperm cryotolerance is crucial to the successful cryopreservation of boar sperm. Evaluating the cryotolerance of boar sperm by using a rapid and convenient technique can enhance the commercial viability of these sperm. This study investigated the correlation between sperm parameters for three sample subsets-fresh sperm, sperm with H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced oxidative damage (hereinafter referred to as H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced sperm), and frozen-thawed sperm-to identify the potential of these correlations to predict cryotolerance. A total of 64 sperm samples were obtained from 64 Duroc boars. The sperm parameters of the three subsets, where the frozen-thawed sperm were analysed at 30 or 180 min after thawing, were determined, and the coefficients of correlation between these parameters were calculated. The results indicated that H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced oxidative stress resulted in decreases in various sperm parameters-including total motility (TM), viability (VIA), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and live sperm with MMP (LMP)-but increased their coefficients of variation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the kinematic parameters of the H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced sperm effectively predicted those of the frozen-thawed boar sperm at 30 min after thawing; the corresponding area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.8667 for TM and 0.8733 for progressive motility in the H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced sperm. For measurement at 180 min after thawing, the sperm membrane and mitochondrial parameters of the H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced sperm effectively predicted the LMP of the frozen-thawed boar sperm; the corresponding AUC was 0.8489 for VIA, 0.8289 for MMP, and 0.8444 for LMP. To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly establish a strong correlation between post-thaw boar sperm quality and H <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>2</subscript> -induced oxidative stress before freezing. Our proposed technique can serve as a valuable reference for the development of practical applications aimed at enhancing techniques for cryopreserving boar sperm.<br /> (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)