Storage of sexed boar spermatozoa: Limits and perspectives

Abstract

Despite the great potential application of sex-sorted spermatozoa in swine, the technology is not practiced in the pig industry because of technical factors and species-specific issues. The susceptibility of boar spermatozoa to stresses induced by the sorting procedure, the relative slowness of the sex-sorting process together with the high sperm numbers required for routine artificial insemination in pig are some of the main factors limiting the commercial application of this technology in pigs. This review briefly describes the damage to spermatozoa during sex sorting, focusing on an additional limiting factor: increased susceptibility of sexed boar spermatozoa to injuries induced by liquid storage and cryopreservation that, in turn, impairs sperm quality leading to unsatisfactory results in vivo. Strategies to extend the lifespan of sex-sorted boar spermatozoa and to improve their fertilizing ability after liquid storage or cryopreservation need to be implemented before this technology can be used in pig farms. In this regard, encapsulation in barium alginate membranes could be a promising technique to optimize the in vivo use of sexed boar spermatozoa, by protecting, targeting, and controlling the release of sperm into the female genital tract.

Alginate encapsulation preserves the quality and fertilizing ability of Mediterranean Italian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and Holstein Friesian (Bos taurus) spermatozoa after cryopreservation

“…Some of these obstacles could be overcome by adopting a sperm encapsulation technique, which was previously demonstrated in bovine [13171836] and swine [78232930313334] species with promising results. Alginate encapsulation of sperm can limit damage to spermatozoa and allow prolonged sperm release; moreover, the bioadhesiveness of alginate can prevent semen backflow.…”

Kualitas Semen Cair Kambing Boer dalam Pengencer Air Kelapa Muda dengan Penambahan Sari Kedelai

“…Rataan viabilitas selama penyimpanan (%) ± SD Verbeckmoes et al (2004;2005) bahwa pengencer harus mempunya komposisi yang sama dengan komposisi ion, pH maupun osmolaritas seperti pada epididimis sehingga spermatozoa dapat disimpan seperti penyimpanan yang terjadi dalam epididimis. Spinaci et al (2015) menjelaskan bahwa viabilitas spermatozoa menurun karena fosfolipid pada membran sel spermatozoa mengalami kerusakan permanen sehingga terjadi penurunan fungsi membran sel.…”

Will AI in pigs become more efficient?

“…Therefore, under this scenario, cryopreservation seems the only useful method to store boar sex-sorted sperm AI-doses. We have demonstrated that sex-sorted and cryopreserved boar spermatozoa show acceptable recovery rates in terms of motility and viability after thawing [46], but unfortunately they achieve poor fertility after AI [47]. Consequently, further research, aimed at optimizing cryopreservation protocols is required before sex-sorted sperm can be commercially used.…”

“…New extenders for extending lifespan of FT-sperm and for cryopreserving sexed sperm are imperative [30,47].…”