Improving survival of stallion semen during freezing
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Short summary
The purpose of the project is to investigate whether separating stallion spermatozoa from seminal plasma using a low density colloid can improve freezability.
The widespread use of cooled semen for equine insemination can be a biosecurity threat and can be a source of antimicrobial resistance because of the antibiotics that are routinely included in the semen extender. If sperm survival during freezing could be improved, breeders could use frozen semen instead of cooled semen.
Current protocols for stallion semen freezing include a centrifugation step to remove most of the seminal plasma. This centrifugation can damage the spermatozoa and affect survival during cryopreservation. A sperm preparation method to select the most robust, highly fertile spermatozoa was developed in out laboratory. This method of selecting robust spermatozoa with a high density colloid resulted in improved sperm cryosurvival. However, some spermatozoa were lost in this process.
Hypothesis: Using a low density colloid will separate spermatozoa from seminal plasma without selecting a sub-population and without damaging the spermatozoa. Spermatozoa will survive freezing better than with the conventional preparation method.
Project members outside of SLU: Ziyad Al-Kass ziyad.al.kass@uomosul.edu.iq