Effect of a pre-freezing treatment with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins on boar sperm longevity, capacitation dynamics, ability to adhere to porcine oviductal epithelial cells in vitro and DNA fragmentation dynamics

Reprod Fertil Dev. 2013;25(6):935-46. doi: 10.1071/RD12079.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to examine how a pre-freezing treatment with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins (CLC) affects boar sperm longevity, capacitation dynamics, ability to bind to a porcine telomerase-immortalised oviductal epithelial cell line (TERT-OPEC) in vitro and DNA integrity dynamics after freeze-thawing. Although the samples treated with CLC exhibited lower sperm quality than the control samples (P<0.05) immediately after thawing, these differences disappeared (P>0.05) after long-term incubation (26h at 37 or 16°C). Additionally, the CLC-treated spermatozoa underwent similar capacitation and DNA fragmentation dynamics as the control spermatozoa (P>0.05). However, CLC-treated spermatozoa were better able to bind to TERT-OPEC in vitro (P<0.0001). In conclusion, the pre-freezing treatment of boar spermatozoa with CLC enhanced the ability of the spermatozoa to bind to TERT-OPEC in vitro, which could have an effect on the establishment of the sperm reservoir in the ampullary--isthmic junction in vivo. Additionally, frozen-thawed spermatozoa can be stored at 16°C for at least 6h without a significant observable decline in sperm quality, which could be beneficial for the transport of thawed diluted doses of spermatozoa from the laboratory to the farm.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Inbred Strains
  • Cell Adhesion / drug effects
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cholesterol / metabolism
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • Cryopreservation / veterinary*
  • Cryoprotective Agents / adverse effects
  • Cryoprotective Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cyclodextrins / adverse effects
  • Cyclodextrins / pharmacology
  • DNA Fragmentation / drug effects
  • Epithelial Cells / physiology
  • Fallopian Tubes / physiology*
  • Female
  • Male
  • Semen Preservation / adverse effects
  • Semen Preservation / veterinary*
  • Spain
  • Sperm Capacitation / drug effects*
  • Spermatozoa / drug effects*
  • Spermatozoa / physiology
  • Sus scrofa / physiology*

Substances

  • Cryoprotective Agents
  • Cyclodextrins
  • Cholesterol