Use of antioxidants to augment semen efficiency during liquid storage and cryopreservation in livestock animals: A review

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of frozen or refrigerated mammalian spermatozoa, their quality remains low as they are highly sensitivity to injuries during preservation and thawing. Moreover, in vitro conditions during spermatozoa storage may affect sperm quality and thereby oocyte fertilization, cleavage, and blastocyst development. Recently, antioxidants have been employed during semen extenders for livestock in different storage protocols to compensate for the depletion of endogenous antioxidant concentration in seminal plasma due to dilution as well as to counteract in vitro oxidative stress and minimize free radical generation. The present article reviews the most effective enzymatic or non-enzymatic antioxidants used during livestock spermatozoa preservation.

Keywords

• Antioxidants
• Spermatozoa
• Liquid storage
• Cryopreservation
• Livestock