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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 64(9)

Effect of zinc supplementation on the quality of cooled, stored equine sperm

Patricio D. Palacios https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0194-8373 A , Isabel Ortiz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2479-498X B , Jesús Dorado https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4310-7663 B , Manuel Hidalgo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7830-7422 B , Juan Ramón García Díaz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2966-7824 B C and Andrés Gambini https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3652-2068 A B D *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

B Veterinary Reproduction Group, Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba 14014, Spain.

C Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Santa Clara, Villa Clara 54830, Cuba.

D School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

* Correspondence to: a.gambini@uq.edu.au

Handling Editor: Chris Rogers

Animal Production Science 64, AN24005 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN24005
Submitted: 16 January 2024  Accepted: 23 May 2024  Published: 13 June 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Collecting, cooling, and cryopreserving semen is essential for accessing genetically superior stallions. However, preserving stallion sperm presents unique challenges compared with other species.

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the effect of zinc (Zn) supplementation on the quality of equine sperm during cold storage.

Methods

Various factors contributing to sperm quality were assessed at 24 and 48 h after cooling, and after subjecting the sperm samples to a heat-resistance test. In Experiment 1, four experimental groups were examined, each with different concentrations of Zn sulfate, as follows: 0, 1, 2, and 3 mM. Subsequently, Experiment 2 involved testing a wider range of concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 mM), including evaluation of samples after incubation for 240 min at 37°C (heat-resistance test).

Key results

The addition of different concentrations of Zn to the extender INRA96 did not yield substantial improvements in sperm-quality parameters for cooling stallion semen after 24 or 48 h. Moreover, no protective benefits were observed when samples underwent a heat-resistance test. Concentrations of Zn surpassing 3 mM had an adverse effect on sperm-quality parameters.

Conclusions and implications

These findings have contributed to the understanding of Zn supplementation as a strategy for improving semen preservation in stallions.

Keywords: equine, fertility, heat-resistance test, horses, sperm quality, stallion, zinc supplementation, ZnSO4 .

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