• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.1827-1838
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• 2022

Objective: The semen quality of stallions including sperm motility is an important target of selection as it has a high level of individual variability. However, effects of the molecular architecture of the genome on the mechanisms of sperm formation and their preservation after thawing have been poorly investigated. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the sperm motility of cryopreserved semen in stallions of various breeds. Methods: Semen samples were collected from the stallions of 23 horse breeds. The following semen characteristics were examined: progressive motility (PM), progressive motility after freezing (FPM), and the difference between PM and FPM. The respective DNA samples from these stallions were genotyped using Axiom Equine Genotyping Array. Results: We performed a GWAS search for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and potential genes related to motility properties of frozen-thawed semen in the stallions of various breeds. As a result of the GWAS analysis, two SNP markers, rs1141327473 and rs1149048772, were identified that were associated with preservation of the frozen-thawed stallion sperm motility, the relevant putative candidate genes being NME/NM23 family member 8 (NME8), olfactory receptor family 2 subfamily AP member 1 (OR2AP1), and olfactory receptor family 6 subfamily C member 4 (OR6C4). Potential implications of effects of these genes on sperm motility are herein discussed. Conclusion: The GWAS results enabled us to localize novel SNPs and candidate genes for sperm motility in stallions. Implications of the study for horse breeding and genetics are a better understanding of genomic regions and candidate genes underlying stallion sperm quality, and improvement in horse reproduction and breeding techniques. The identified markers and genes for sperm cryotolerance and the respective genomic regions are promising candidates for further studying the biological processes in the formation and function of the stallion reproductive system.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.555-564
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• 2001

The optional ingredient jasoja(Perillae semen) was adopted to improve Dongchimi in qualify during fermentation The final weight percentage of jasoja in Dongchimi was adjusted to 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1.0% Per radish. Physicochemical characteristics were determined during fermentation for 45 days at 10$^{\circ}C$. As the fermentation of Dongchimi proceeded, the pH decreased with the increase of total acidity; however, the decreasing rate was slowed down by increasing the level of jasoja. The delayed pH drop of Dongchimi was limited only for the initial period of fermentation and the ultimate pH became almost comparable even for the 1% treatment. The total vitamin C content increased initially to a certain level depending on the level of jasoja, and then decreased later. Dongchimi with 0.5% jasoja contained the highest level of total vitamin C and reducing sugars. In case of 1% treatment, the typical pattern of an initial high content followed by a gradual decrease in reducing sugar was destroyed by a rapid fermentation at the later stage. Turbidity level, along with total solid contents of the liquid part of Dongchimi increased in all treatments as the fermentation proceeded although the extent was rather suppressed by jasoja. As a result of fermentation, the colorimetric lightness values decreased, with the intial increase followed by the decrease at a certain point in redness and yellowness and the increase in color difference values (ΔE). Overall, fermentation with 0.5% jasoja for 11 to 30 days appeared to improve the quality of Dongchimi.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 1998

To study the effect of induced hypothyroidism on fertility status of male Black Bengal goats, 10 adult healthy mature males were divided into control and treated groups. Hypothyroidism was induced successfully by injecting thiourea subcutaneously initially for 15 days at the rate of 100 mg/kg body weight, followed by 66.7 mg/kg body weight for the subse quent 15 days. This resulted in a decrease (p < 0.01) in plasma tri-iodothyronine, thyroxine and testosterone levels, with increasing duration of thiourea treatment. It also adversely affected semen quality, ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, motility and viability. Live percentage declined to 75% for treated and control remained at 90%. Artificial insemination fo female goats with semen of thiourea-treated goats, resulted in failure of conception. However, females inseminated with semen of male goats of control group showed 100% conception. These observations indicate that, thyroid hormones play a key role in maintaining the normal reproductive processes of male goats.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.191-203
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• 1999

The objectives of this study were to investigate 1) the effects of Selenium(Se), Vitamin E (Vit. E) or recombinant Bovine Somatotropin(rBST) administration on fresh and frozen/thawed semen characteristics and 2) the effect of taurine on frozen/thawed semen characteristics in Hanwoo sires Hanwoo sires were randomly assigned to five groups (1. control, 2. rBST, 0.09mg/kg body weight (BW), 3. Vito E 1,500IU/kg BW, 4. Se 0.l mg/kg BW, 5. Vit. E 1,500IU plus Se 0.1 mg/kg BW). The administration of Se, Vit. E and rBST for each experimental group were given 6 times at 15 days interval by intramuscular injection. The administration of Se, Vit. E or rBST in Hanwoo sires didn't affect semen volume and pH values, but sperm viability was significantly increased comparing to the control group. Also, frozen/thawed semen analysis showed that the sperm viability increased, but any other effects were not found in total sperm :lumber, motility and abnormality among treatments. The addition of taurine in semen freezing extender had a beneficial effects on frozen/thawecl semen characteristics in all groups. The administrations of rBST, Vit. E and Se did not affect the sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction, either the ratio of F pattern(uncapacitated and acrosome intact sperm) or AR pattern(capacitated and acrosome-reacted sperm), but the ratio of B patten(capacitated and acrosome intact sperm) of treatment groups was significantly higher than that of control group, These results indicated that the viability, motility and quality of semen in Hanwoo sires were slightly increased by the injection of rBST, Vit. E and Se, and the addition of taurine in semen freezing extender were also increased the semen characteristics after thawing.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.106-115
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• 2021

Sperm cryopreservation is an important method of assisted reproductive techniques and storing genetic resources. It plays a vital role in genetic improvement, livestock industrial preservation of endangered species, and clinical practice. Consequently, the cryopreservation technique is well organized through various studies, especially on Korean native cattle (Hanwoo). However, the cryopreservation technique of Korean native brindled cattle, which is one of the native cattle species in Korea, is not well organized. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a Supplementary Table technique for the cryopreservation of Korean native brindled cattle. For this purpose, it is important to first evaluate the quality of the currently produced cryopreserved sperm of Korean native brindled cattle. In this study, we randomly selected 72 individual Korean native brindled cattle semen samples collected from 8 different region research centers and used them to evaluate sperm functions. We focused on the quality evaluation of cryopreserved Korean native brindled cattle semen following the measurement of motion kinematics, capacitation status, intracellular ATP level, sperm motility, and cell viability. Then, the values of each of the eight groups were derived from various sperm parameters of nine individual samples, including sperm motility, kinematics, cellular motility, and intracellular ATP levels, which were used to compare and evaluate sperm function. Overall, differences in various sperm parameters were observed between most of the research centers. Particularly, the deviations of motility and motion kinematics were high according to the sample. Therefore, we suggest that it is necessary to develop a standard method for the cryopreservation of Korean native brindled cattle semen. We also suggest the need for sperm quality evaluation of the cryopreserved semen of Korean native brindled cattle before using artificial insemination to attain a high fertility rate.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.287-291
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• 2016

For evaluating the boar semen quality, sperm motility (MOT) is an important parameter because the movement of spermatozoa indicates active metabolism, membrane integrity and fertilizing capacity. Estrogen receptors 2(ESR2) is involved in estrogen related apoptosis in cell cycle spermatogenesis, but their functions have not been confirmed in pig until now. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze their association with sperm motility and kinematic characteristics. DNA samples from 105 Duroc pigs with records of semen motility and kinematic characteristics [Total motile spermatozoa (MOT), Curvilinear velocity(VCL), Straight-line velocity(VSL), the ratio between VSL and VCL(LIN), Amplitude of Lateral Head displacement(ALH)] were analyzed. A SNP in coding region of ESR2 g.35547A > G in exon 5 was associated with MOT (p < 0.05) in Duroc population. Therefore, we suggest that the porcine ESR2 gene may be used as a molecular marker for Duroc boar semen quality, although its functional effects were not defined yet. These results might shed new light on the roles of ESR2 in spermatogenesis as candidate gene for boar fertility, but still the lack of association across populations should be considered.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2008

The objective of this study was two folds: to investigate the relationship between paternal identification rate and sperm quality parameters such as motility and sperm chromatin structure assay after heterospermic insemination; to see if mutual complement between tests and development of useful technique to enhance the fertility in artificial insemination. In individual boar's fertilizing ability, 3 high fertility boars showed significantly high fertility (p<0.05) compared to 3 low fertility boars, but there was no difference in litter size between two groups. Sperm motility test in pooled and individual semen using computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) revealed that no significant difference among boars. The high fertile boar showed tendency of low %Red (High red fluorescence/green+red fluorescence) in sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) but paternal identification rate from piglets did not differ after heterospermic insemination. The correlation coefficient between individual or pooled semen function test and farrowing rates were well correlated as follows: %Red with litter size (r= - 0.53, p=0.03); %Red with paternal identification rates (r=-0.51, p=0.03); paternal identification rates with litter size (r=0.57, p=0.02). These results indicate that sperm chromatin structure assay and sperm quality parameter test in pooled semen are useful method to predict and evaluate the fertilizing capacity after heterospermic insemination in boars.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

Sperm cryopreservation is a fundamental process for the long-term conservation of livestock genetic resources. Yet, the packaging method has been shown, among other factors, to affect the frozen-thawed (FT) sperm quality. This study aimed to develop a new mini-straw for sperm cryopreservation. In addition, the kinematic patterns, viability, acrosome integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of boar spermatozoa frozen in the developed 0.25 mL straw, 0.25 mL (minitube, Germany), or 0.5 mL (IMV technologies, France) straws were assessed. Post-thaw kinematic parameters were not different (experiment 1: total motility (33.89%, 32.42%), progressive motility (19.13%, 19.09%), curvilinear velocity (42.32, 42.86), and average path velocity (33.40, 33.62) for minitube and the developed straws, respectively. Further, the viability (38.56%, 34.03%), acrosome integrity (53.38%, 48.88%), MMP (42.32%, 36.71%) of spermatozoa frozen using both straw were not differ statistically (p > 0.05). In experiment two, the quality parameters for semen frozen in the developed straw were compared with the 0.5 mL IMV straw. The total motility (41.26%, 39.1%), progressive motility (24.62%, 23.25%), curvilinear velocity (46.44, 48.25), and average path velocity (37.98, 39.12), respectively, for IMV and the developed straw, did not differ statistically. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the viability (39.60%, 33.17%), acrosome integrity (46.23%, 43.23%), and MMP (39.66, 32.51) for IMV and the developed straw, respectively. These results validate the safety and efficiency of the developed straw and highlight its great potential for clinical application. Moreover, both 0.25 mL and 0.5 mL straws fit the present protocol for cryopreservation of boar spermatozoa.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.119-128
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• 2024

Glucocorticoids play a physiologic role in the adult male reproductive functions, modulating gonadal steroid synthesis and spermatogenesis, through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The expression of GR has been described in several key testicular cell types, including somatic cells and early germ cell populations. Nothing is known on GR in human spermatozoa. Herein, we explored the GR expression and its possible role in normal and testicular varicocele semen samples from volunteer donors. After semen parameter evaluation by macro- and microscopic analysis, samples were centrifuged; then spermatozoa and culture media were recovered for further investigations. By western blotting and immunofluorescence analyses we evidenced for the first time in spermatozoa the presence of GR-D3 isoform which was reduced in sperm from varicocele patients. By treating sperm with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEXA), we found that survival, motility, capacitation, and acrosome reaction were increased in both healthy and varicocele samples. GR involvement in mediating DEXA effects, was confirmed by using the GR inhibitor mifepristone (M2F). Worthy, we also discovered that sperm secretes different cortisol amounts depending on its physio-pathological status, suggesting a defence mechanism to escape the immune system attach in the female genital tract thus maintaining the immune-privilege as in the testis. Collectively, our data suggests a role for glucocorticoids in determining semen quality and function, as well as in participating on sperm immune defensive mechanisms. The novelty of this study may be beneficial and needs to take into account in artificial insemination/drug discovery aimed to enhancing sperm quality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.633-636
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• 2002

Six adult Garole rams maintained under a semi-intensive system were used as semen donors for this study. Semen was collectied daily during the monsoon season with the help of an artificial vagina and examined for its quality characteristics. Ejaculates of thick consistency, rapid wave motion, ${\geq}80%$ motility and intense movement of motile spermatozoa were diluted at the rate of 1:1 with egg yolk McIllvaine glucose diluent at $30^{\circ}C$ in water bath. Estrus in ewes was detected by parading aproned rams of proven vigour at 12 h intervals. The ewes (54 Malpura and 23 Avikalin) in estrus were artificially inseminated with fresh diluted ram semen. The overall conception rate was 94.8%, (range 91.7 to 100%). The overall lambing percent was 80.5 with a range of 75.0 to 84.6%. There was no significant (p>0.05) difference in lambing and conception rate because of individual rams. Fertility was significantly lower (p<0.05) in ewes of less than two years and more than six years of age. Breed (Malpura and Avikalin) effect was not observed in conception and lambing rate (p>0.05). No significant difference (p>0.05) in birth weight and 12 month weight was observed between Garole${\times}$Avikalin and Garole${\times}$Malpura crossbred lambs but there was significant (p<0.05) difference at three month and six months body weight of both the crossbred lambs.