Functional activity of frozen thawed Chinchilla lanigera spermatozoa cryopreserved with glycerol or ethyleneglycol

PONZIO MF; BUSSO JM; RUIZ RD; FIOL DE CUNEO MH; PONCE AA

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS (1990)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2008 vol. 43 p. 228 - 233

0936-6768

The cryopreservation of spermatozoa constitutes a valuable tool for the captive breeding management of valuable and/or  threatened species. Chinchilla lanigera is a species almost  extinct in the wild, and the domestic counterpart has one of the most valuable pelts in the world. The objectives of this study were to: (i) compare the functional activity of post-thawed  chinchilla spermatozoa cryopreserved at )196[1]C either with glycerol (G) or ethylene glycol (EG) as cryoprotectants (1 M final concentration) and (ii) investigate the effects of incubating  the gametes for 4 h in the presence or in the absence of the cryoprotectants; evaluations were performed taking into account motility, viability, response to hypo-osmotic shock  and acrosome integrity of the cells. Parameters reflecting postthaw (0 h) sperm functional activity were significantly lower than those of freshly ejaculated gametes. When comparing the cryoprotectant efficiency of G vs EG, neither cryoprotectant agent offered appreciable advantages. After 4 h of incubation, in the presence or absence of the cryoprotectant agent, a rapid and significant decrease was found in all functional parameters and remained at [1] 20–30% motile, viable and viable acrosome intact cells. Viability was significantly lower when the cryoprotectant was removed from the media (possibly due to the centrifugation process). With respect to the maintenance of sperm membrane integrity, only [1] 10% of cells showed membrane resistance to hypo-osmotic conditions after the 4 h incubation period. These results constitute new insights for cryopreservation protocols and the development of assisted  reproductive techniques in this species.