Short-term Storage and Cryopreservation of Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) Sperm

In present study, attempts were made to preserve abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) sperm in liquid form at low temperature, to evaluate the effect of various diluents in short-term storage on sperm, and cryopreservation procedures were optimized for the cryoprotectants and freezing rates, as well as the motility, survival rate, and the ultrastructural changes of sperm after short-term storage and cryopreservation were observed. The abalone sperm reached maximum motility until about 4 min after activation. The motility was constant for about 16 min, after which it dropped gradually, and about 50 min later all motility ceased. In Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS, 300 and 400 mOsmol/kg) and 150, 250 and 350 mOsmol/k artificial seawater (ASW), the sperm was immotile. After 100% ASW was added, motility of those sperm, which are in 300, 400 mOsmol/kg HBSS, 250, 350 mOsmol/kg ASW, could be again restored incompletely. Sperm motility can be maintained for 20 days of cold storage only in ASW of 850 and 1200 mOsmol/kg. A high motility index of 3.5-4.5 was observed for the first 8 days in 850 and 950 mOsmol/kg ASW. In other diluents sperm motility was constant less than 10 days, and the motility index was obviously lower than that of sperm in 850 and 1200 mOsmol/kg ASW. After 20 days of cold storage, survival rates of 10.2%-20.7% were obtained in ASW and 300 mOsmol/kg HBSS, and that in 400 HBSS (65.3%) was significantly higher than others. The constant period of sperm motility stored in 850 mOsmol/kg ASW was obviously longer than that in 1200 mOsmol/kg ASW after 6 days of storage. The sperm plunged into liquid nitrogen all died except that sperm using 15% glycerol as cryoprotectant restored 10.4% of motility. The highest motility index (3.4) was obtained with 5% glycerol and freezing procedure: $-50^{\circ}C$/min from $20^{\circ}C$ to $-80^{\circ}C$.