111 Effect of different concentrations of glutathione during liquid storage of Kolbroek boar semen stored at 17°C
L. D. Sehlabela A B , M. L. Mphaphathi A , T. L. Nedambale A B and T. R. Netshirovha CA Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production, Germplasm Conservation & Reproduction Biotechnologies, Republic of South Africa
B Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Republic of South Africa
C Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Republic of South Africa
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 34(2) 292-293 https://doi.org/10.1071/RDv34n2Ab111
Published: 7 December 2021
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the IETS
With the widespread use of AI, semen preservation techniques have developed rapidly in porcine species. In vitro liquid storage of semen is an important and commonly used method to preserve boar semen. Glutathione has gained interest because of its high antioxidant capacity, which could protect sperm from oxidative damage. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing semen extender with different glutathione concentrations (0, 1, 5, and 10 mM) on the quality of liquid stored Kolbroek sperm. A total of three Kolbroek boars were used for semen collection twice weekly. Ten ejaculates were collected separately from each boar using the gloved hand technique. After evaluation of fresh semen quality, semen samples were pooled and divided into four equal fractions. One fraction was diluted with Beltsville Thawing Solution for the control (no glutathione) and the other three fractions with Beltsville Thawing Solution for the treatments (1, 5, and 10 mM glutathione). All diluted semen samples were then kept at 17°C during liquid preservation in vitro. The sperm motility and velocity traits were evaluated using a computer-aided sperm analyser at 3, 6, and 24 h of liquid storage. Data was analysed using ANOVA, and treatment means were compared using Fisher’s least significant difference test. There was a decline in sperm total motility for the 0 (57.5 ± 4.7%), 1 (42.8 ± 7.2%), 5 (65.1 ± 8.6%), and 10 (61.6 ± 8.3%) mM glutathione treatments compared with raw (fresh) semen (90.3 ± 2.3%) at 24 h (P < 0.05). There was a significant reduction in sperm progressive motility in the 10 mM (39.6 ± 14.6%) compared to the 5 mM (22.0 ± 12.7%) glutathione treatment at 6 h. Treatment with 0 mM glutathione (32.6 ± 16.6%) resulted in a higher percentage of rapid sperm compared with the addition of either 1 (15.4 ± 8.2%) or 5 mM (12.5 ± 7.1%) glutathione at 6 h (P < 0.05). We also observed increased sperm wobble for the 1 mM (59.0 ± 7.9) compared to 10 mM (47.2 ± 7.8) glutathione treatment at 3 h (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of glutathione (1, 5, or 10 mM) to semen extender and storage at 17°C for 3 to 24 h slightly reduced sperm motility traits compared with raw semen. However, 1 mM was the optimum concentration of glutathione to be added to the semen extender for the preservation of semen from Kolbroek boars.
