Post-Thaw quality of spermatozoa frozen with three different extenders in the Murciano Granadina goat breed.

Abstract

In caprine species, the semen quality of thawed samples still needs to be improved in order for this type of semen to provide an acceptable pregnancy rate when it is used for artificial insemination. It is therefore essential to have an adequate freezing protocol and extender for this species. By adapting freezing protocols that have proven successful in other species, such as pigs, together with the development of an extender that protects the sperm cells from damage caused by the freezing and thawing processes, and taking into account its composition in nutrients and cell-membrane-stabilizing substances, it has been possible, at least in vitro, to achieve high sperm quality in buck semen. In vivo studies of the fertilizing capacity of the semen cryopreserved in this way will be the next step to verify the effectiveness of the extender and semen-freezing protocol described in this work.