Effect of diluent variation on cryopreservation of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate different factors, including cryoprotective agents (CPAs), diluents, dilution ratios, equilibrium times, freezing rates, and thawing methods to optimize cryopreservation protocols for large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). The parameters evaluated were sperm motility, sperm activity index (SAI), survival rate, and DNA damage. Different types of CPAs, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol (EG), methanol, and glycerol, were tested for sperm preservation. The highest motility, SAI, and survival rate were observed when EG was used. Different diluents such as Stein's solution, Hank's balanced salt solution, marine fish Ringer's solution, artificial seminal plasma (ASP) of small yellow croaker, and Cortland solution were investigated. The highest post-thaw motility was observed upon using ASP as the diluent. Different concentrations of EG were then mixed with ASP to identify the optimal EG concentration. Experimental results showed that the motility (70.33 ± 1.20%), SAI (5), and survival rate (78.30 ± 0.42%) of post-thaw sperm were optimum when 10% EG and ASP were used as the CPA and diluent of cryopreservation, respectively. Post-thaw sperm motility was high at equilibration times below 150 s and at an optimum dilution ratio of 1:1 (sperm: CPA + diluent) and was not significantly different compared with fresh sperm motility. The freezing rate was found to be slow below -10℃/min. The thawing temperature of 45℃ was identified as ideal. The percentage of tail DNA in post-thaw sperm at 10% EG and ASP was also investigated and was found to have more significant DNA damage than that in fresh sperm but significantly lower damage than that in post-thaw sperm at EG concentrations of 5%, 15%, and 20% (p < 0.05). The cryopreservation protocols obtained in this study will be useful in large yellow croaker hatcheries.

Cryopreservation of Roughscale Sole (Clidoderma asperrimum) Sperm: Effects of Cryoprotectant, Diluent, Dilution Ratio, and Thawing Temperature

“…After 3 days of hormonal treatment, sperm samples were obtained by abdominal stripping and direct collection using 1.0-mL plastic syringes. To prevent contamination with excrement, water, blood, mucus, or urine, the region surrounding the male genitalia was sanitized [ 8 ]. The collected sperm were placed into a box on ice and directly transported to the laboratory for analysis, observation, and cryopreservation.…”

“…The proportion of DNA from the tail was determined using the following formula: [100 × (DNAc − DNAh)/DNAc] [ 15 , 16 ], where DNAc and DNAh represent the summed intensities of the pixels in the entire comet and the head region, respectively [ 17 ]. The levels of damage were classified and the proportion of cells within each category was determined [ 8 ].…”