Effect of different carboxylated poly l-lysine and dimethyl sulfoxide combinations on post thaw rabbit sperm functionality and fertility.

Antifreeze proteins are biologically active substances which protect living organisms against freezing injuries. The effect of a synthetic antifreeze protein carboxylated poly l-lysine (CPLL) in the extender was evaluated in the presence of a conventional cryoprotective agent, dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), for freezing rabbit sperm cells. The experiment was conducted according to 2 × 3 factorial design including two Me2SO (5 or 8%) and three CPLL (0, 0.5 or 1%) concentrations. CPLL supplementation improved post-thaw live and live-acrosome intact sperm rates (P<0.01) without a prominent influence on the motility (P>0.05) and live-membrane intact (P>0.05) sperm rates. The most striking effect of CPLL supplementation was seen on the DNA integrity where it reduced DNA fragmentation of sperm cells significantly by interacting Me2SO (P < 0.01) during freezing and thawing. However, it could not replace Me2SO in the extender and did not improve pregnancy rate. In conclusion, CPLL supplementation to the extender in the presence of Me2SO improved sperm quality parameters and post-thaw DNA integrity.

Dietary quercetin maintains the semen quality in rabbits under summer heat stress.

This study focused to determine beneficial impact of feeding quercetin supplemented diet on semen quality in summer heat imposed rabbits. Twelve heat stressed (HS) adult rabbits bucks were either fed with basal diet (HS; n = 06) or quercetin supplemented diet (QU-HS; n = 06) for a period of 56 days. Semen samples were collected and evaluated for volume, osmolality, morphology, concentration, motility, motion kinetics, viability, acrosome integrity, mitochondrial potential, and seminal plasma MDA level. Semen volume, concentration, motility and sperm kinetics parameters were affected by diet supplementation. Diet affected the sperm mitochondrial potential and day of treatment affected the viable sperm percentage. There was an effect of diet, day of treatment and diet by day interaction on acrosome reaction rate. Sperm head abnormalities were influenced by diet provision, sperm mid-piece abnormalities were affected by diet and day of treatment, whereas, the effect of diet and diet by day of treatment interaction were observed for total sperm abnormalities. There was an effect of diet and diet by day interaction for seminal plasma MDA level. In conclusions, quercetin reduces the damaging effects of HS and maintains the semen quality by lowering the oxidative stress in rabbits.

Cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin enhances osmotic tolerance and inhibits the acrosome reaction in rabbit spermatozoa.

The effects of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) treatment on the osmotic tolerance and ability to undergo the acrosome reaction of rabbit spermatozoa, with an unusually high cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in plasma membranes, were examined in two successive experiments. In the first experiment, CLC-pretreated and untreated sperm cells were exposed for 15min to one of five fructose solutions, adjusted to 20, 80, 290, 500 or 1500mOsm/L. After the anisoosmotic challenge, the integrity of sperm membranes in the CLC-supplemented (at a dose level of 3mg/120x10(6)spermatozoa) and control groups was estimated by a modified hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) associated with a supravital eosin staining test (HE-test). In the second part of the study, the influence of cholesterol supplementation on the acrosome reaction of sperm cells stimulated by either calcium ionophore A23187 (CI) or lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was evaluated. CLC pretreatment increased viable and live-HOST-responsive sperm rates (P<0.01) after incubation in anisoosmotic solutions varying from 80 to 1500mOsm/L. However, CLC supplementation did not influence the percentage of HOST-responsive sperm cells (P>0.05). A significant interaction was determined between CLC pretreatment and the level of osmotic pressure in maintaining the functional and physical integrities of sperm membranes undergoing osmotic challenges. Both CI and LPC successfully induced the acrosome reaction in rabbit spermatozoa (P<0.001). Compared with CI, LPC was more effective (P<0.0001). CLC pretreatment resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.01) in the percentage of acrosome reacted sperm cells irrespective of the inducing agent, either CI or LPC. In conclusion, CLC treatment enhanced the anisoosmotic tolerance of rabbit spermatozoa and reduced their ability to undergo the acrosome reaction after stimulation by CI or LPC.