Supplementation of Catalase Enzyme in Extender Provides Antioxidative Protection to the Quality and Mitochondrial Activity of Frozen-Thawed Japanese Quail Spermatozoa
Sumiyyah Zuha, Bushra Allah Rakha, Hajrah Raad Tihami, Shamim Akhter, Imtiaz Ahmad KhanAim:
Japanese quail offers massive potential as a source of animal protein and could fulfil the global surge in the demand for poultry meat. Sperm cryopreservation and assisted reproduction are pivotal in its propagation, as they simultaneously address various challenges like inbreeding, unreceptiveness towards new mates and unmanaged larger flocks. However, freezing procedures promote oxidative stress, disturb the redox homeostasis, and deteriorate sperm quality. Therefore, the current experiment was planned to evaluate the addition of catalase (CAT) antioxidant in the extender for Japanese quail sperm quality, mitochondrial activity, free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation (LPO) during cryopreservation.
Materials and Methods:
Semen was collected from 30 quails, pooled, divided and diluted with NaCl extender (115) containing 10 U CAT/mL, 30 U CAT/mL, 50 U CAT/mL and control. Extended semen (37°C) was gradually cooled to 20°C, then equilibrated at 4°C with 1% dimethylacetamide (DMA) and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. The sperm quality and biochemical parameters were assessed at the post-dilution, post-cooling, post-equilibration and post-thaw (0-hour and half-hour) stages of cryopreservation.
Results:
The sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane and acrosomal integrity, mitochondrial activity and free radical scavenging activity were documented as highest (
Conclusion:
The addition of 10 U CAT/mL efficiently preserved and protected the sperm plasma membrane, acrosome, and mitochondrial activity as an antioxidative agent against the free radicals produced at chilling temperatures.