Evaluation of the Effects of Vitamin E (α-Tocopherol) Supplementation in the Extender Containing Egg Yolk on the Characteristics of Canine Cryopreserved Semen

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohsen Jafari
Mehrdad Mohri
pezhman mirshokraei
Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
10.22034/ijvcs.2024.14498.1059
Abstract
Freezing sperm is a complex process that can result in various forms of cell damage. Such damage may reduce the motility and fertility of thawed sperm used for artificial insemination. In this study, fifteen semen samples were collected from five mixed-breed male dogs, and each sample was divided into three parts (control, 0.2 mmol vitamin E, and 0.4 mmol vitamin E). Although motility was observed in groups that received antioxidants, this increase was not statistically significant. However, the average motility of high-speed progressive sperm after thawing indicates a significant increase (P≤0.05) in their motility. The study showed a significant increase (P≤0.05) in high-speed progressive sperm motility, VCL, VSL, VAP, and BCF values in groups 0.2 and 0.4 compared to the control group. However, this increase was only observed in the cold shock-resistant group. In the test, the evaluation of the integrity of the sperm membrane in Group 0.4 showed a significant increase (P≤0.05) compared to the control group. The study finds that using vitamin E with concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4 improves the resistance of sperm to shocks compared to sperm that are sensitive to this phenomenon. This positive effect of vitamin E can be attributed to higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids that are susceptible to peroxidation in this group of sperm.

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