Cryopreservation of Pig Semen Using a Quercetin-Supplemented Freezing Extender
Seonggyu Bang,
Bereket Molla Tanga,
Xun Fang,
Gyeonghwan Seong,
Islam M. Saadeldin,
Ahmad Yar Qamar,
Sanghoon Lee,
Keun-Jung Kim,
Yun-Jae Park,
Abdelbagi Hamad Talha Nabeel,
Il-jeoung Yu,
Akila Cooray,
Kyu Pil Lee,
Jongki Cho
Affiliations
Seonggyu Bang
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Bereket Molla Tanga
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Xun Fang
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Gyeonghwan Seong
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Islam M. Saadeldin
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Ahmad Yar Qamar
Collage of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Sanghoon Lee
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Keun-Jung Kim
Livestock Experiment Institute, Government of Chungcheongnam-do, Cheongyang-gun 33303, Korea
Yun-Jae Park
Livestock Experiment Institute, Government of Chungcheongnam-do, Cheongyang-gun 33303, Korea
Abdelbagi Hamad Talha Nabeel
Laboratory of Theriogenology and Reproductive Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio-Safety Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea
Il-jeoung Yu
Laboratory of Theriogenology and Reproductive Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio-Safety Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea
Akila Cooray
Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Kyu Pil Lee
Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Jongki Cho
Laboratory of Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during freeze–thaw procedures cause oxidative damage to the sperm, reducing fertility. We aimed to improve the post-thaw quality of pig sperm by quercetin (QRN) supplementation to reduce the cryodamage associated with the freeze–thaw procedure. Four equal aliquots of pooled boar semen were diluted with a freezing extender supplemented with different concentrations of QRN (0, 25, 50, and 100 µM) and then were subjected to cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen. Semen analysis was performed following 7 days of cryopreservation. Results demonstrated that the semen samples supplemented with 50 µM QRN significantly improved the post-thaw sperm quality than those subjected to other supplementations (p < 0.05). Semen samples supplemented with 50 µM QRN showed significantly improved plasma membrane functional integrity (47.5 ± 1.4 vs. 43.1 ± 4.1, 45.3 ± 1.7, and 44.1 ± 1.4) and acrosome integrity (73.6 ± 3.4 vs. 66.3 ± 2.4, 66.7 ± 3.6, and 68.3 ± 32.9) as compared to the control, 25 µM, and 100 µM QRN groups, respectively. The mitochondrial activity of the 50 µM QRN group was greater than control and 25 µM QRN groups (43.0 ± 1.0 vs. 39.1 ± 0.9 and 41.9 ± 1.0) but showed no difference with the 100 µM QRN group. Moreover, the 50 µM QRN group showed a higher sperm number displaced to 1 cm and 3 cm points in the artificial mucus than other groups. Therefore, supplementing the freezing extender with QRN can serve as an effective tool to reduce the magnitude of oxidative damage associated with sperm freezing.
