Canine and Feline Epididymal Semen—A Plentiful Source of Gametes
Hiba Ali Hassan,
Guillaume Domain,
Gaia Cecilia Luvoni,
Rana Chaaya,
Ann Van Soom,
Eline Wydooghe
Affiliations
Hiba Ali Hassan
Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Guillaume Domain
Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Gaia Cecilia Luvoni
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie per la Salute, la Produzione Animale e la Sicurezza Alimentare, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Rana Chaaya
Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University, 2703 Beirut, Dekwaneh, Lebanon
Ann Van Soom
Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Eline Wydooghe
Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Canine and feline epididymal semen provide an additional source of gametes to preserve the genetics of valuable breeding dogs and tomcats, especially for those that fail to ejaculate, need castration as a therapy or die unexpectedly. Moreover, since it is quite common to perform castration of non-breeding dogs and cats, the development of a gene bank of epididymal semen collected after castration would greatly contribute to increase the genetic diversity in dogs and cats. Collection and cryopreservation of epididymal semen necessitates a full understanding of the function of the epididymis and of the characteristics of epididymal spermatozoa as opposed to ejaculated semen. During collection of epididymal semen, specific factors may have a negative effect on epididymal semen quality and freezability. Accordingly, the elimination of these triggers could enhance epididymal semen freezability and consequently positively influence post-thaw semen quality and outcome for different ARTs.
