GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS ISOLATED FROM CAUDA EPIDIDYMAL FLUID IMPROVES SPERM FEATURES IN LIQUID-STORED PORCINE SPERMATOZOA.

BARONIAN, D; OJEDA, G; BUTAZZONNI A; CANTÚ, DF; SOSA MA; CARVELLI L; AGUILERA AC

Mendoza

Congreso; XL Reunion anual de la Sociedad de BIología de Cuyo; 2022

Artificial insemination (AI) is the most practiced technique in porcine reproduction. Since this practice requires the storage of spermatozoa in semen extenders, there is an increasing interest in improving the liquid-storage composition to preserve sperm quality. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a family of linear polysaccharides comprised of repeating hexosamine-containing disaccharides that are found in the reproductive fluids along the male and female genital tracts. Different studies showed that GAGs may be involved in sperm processes such as capacitation and acrosome reaction in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of GAGs isolated from cauda epididymal fluid (G-EF) and seminal plasma (G-SP) on viability, membrane stability and mitochondrial activity of boar spermatozoa stored in commercial sperm extenders. GAGs from EF and SP were isolated by protease digestion, lipid extraction and by different precipitation conditions. Fresh boar sperm was diluted in commercial short-term extender (BTS) and long-term extender (GM) supplemented with G-EF and G-SP, for 3 and 7 days at 16 ºC respectively. Spermatozoa storage either with G-EF or G-SP showed high percentage of membrane stability and viability assessed by flow cytometry using M540/ YoPro (p