The Effect of the Addition of Co-Q10 on the Preservation of Boar Semen at 17°C

Abstract

Background: With the increasing application of artificial insemination technology in boars, breeding efficiency is largely determined by the quality of semen preservation. With the prolonged storage of semen at room temperature in vitro, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage organelles and plasma membranes and ultimately lead to a decline in semen quality. Methods: In order to improve the preservation of semen at 17°C, this experiment investigated the effect of different concentrations (0, 10, 15, 25, 35 µg/mL) of coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) in Modena dilution on the quality of boar semen during storage at 17°C. The sperm motility, mitochondrial activity, total antioxidant (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed at 17°C at different times (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 d). Result: The results showed that the addition of Co-Q10 has a positive effect during the preservation of boar semen at 17°C. On the 5th day, the sperm motility of the 25 µg/mL Co-Q10 group was 73.80% and the mitochondrial activity was 82.94%, which was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than that of other groups. In terms of antioxidant levels, the MDA content of the 25 µg/ml and 35 µg/ml Co-Q10 groups on the 5th day was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than that of the other groups. At the same time, the 25 µg/ml group could effectively enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the SOD and T-AOC were 17.33 U/mL and 3.17 U/mL on the 5th day significantly higher than the other groups (P less than 0.05). The results showed that the most appropriate concentration of Co-Q10 when storing boar semen at 17°C was 25 µg/ml.