Post-Thaw Semen Quality Tested

Researchers found non-sperm cells present in fresh semen release an enzyme called MPO during freezing, which could have a negative impact on thawed semen quality.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

High-quality semen—whether fresh, cooled, or frozen—is a gold standard for successful breeders. So it's not surprising that veterinarians and researchers regularly pour resources into better understanding how to get the best quality semen possible from stallions and into mares. Case in point: Recently, with an eye toward understanding how to produce the most viable semen for artificial insemination, researchers examined the link between non-sperm cells (NSC, epithelial cells or cellular debris present in fresh semen) and myeloperoxidase (MPO, a pro-oxidant enzyme identified in post-thaw semen that is associated with decreased sperm motility).

The researchers subjected semen samples from five actively breeding Quarter Horse stallions to two tests: They either processed the specimens with single-layer colloidal (SLC) centrifugation prior to cryopreservation (cooling to subzero temperatures) or froze them without centrifugation. They measured NSC and MPO concentrations throughout the procedure.

The team's findings showed that the NSC present in fresh semen release MPO during freezing, which could have a negative impact on semen quality. Furthermore, they identified decreased NSC and MPO concentrations in post-thaw semen processed by SLC centrifugation prior to freezing when compared to non-SLC-processed samples.

“This study is aimed at understanding the low quality of post-thaw semen of some stallions,” said Jérôme Ponthier, DVM, MSc., PhD, Dipl. ECAR, at University of Liège’s Clinique Vétérinaire Universitaire in Belgium. “The final aim for the breeders is to increase quality of semen and, thus, pregnancy rate of mares inseminated with frozen semen

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Freelance journalist Natalie DeFee Mendik is a multiple American Horse Publications editorial and graphics awards winner specializing in equestrian media. She holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an International Federation of Journalists’ International press card, and is a member of the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists. With over three decades of horse experience, Natalie’s main equine interests are dressage and vaulting. Having lived and ridden in England, Switzerland, and various parts of the United States, Natalie currently resides in Colorado with her husband and two girls.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
310 votes · 310 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!