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Article << Previous     |         Contents Vol 24(8)

Pretreatment of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) spermatozoa with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins and glycerol addition at 4°C improves cryosurvival

Wendy K. Kiso A F, Atsushi Asano B, Alexander J. Travis B, Dennis L. Schmitt C D, Janine L. Brown E and Budhan S. Pukazhenthi E

A Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA.
B Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
C The William H. Darr School of Agriculture, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA.
D The Ringling Brothers Center for Elephant Conservation, Polk City, FL 33868, USA.
E Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
F Corresponding author. Email: wkiso@feldinc.com

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 24(8) 1134-1142 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/RD11266
Submitted: 15 October 2011  Accepted: 4 April 2012   Published: 3 May 2012
 
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Abstract

Asian elephant spermatozoa are sensitive to chilling and do not respond well to cryopreservation. The objectives of the present study were to: (1) determine whether cholesterol content can be modified by preincubation of Asian elephant spermatozoa with cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC); and (2) assess the effects of CLC concentration(s), temperature at time of glycerol addition (22°C vs 4°C) and dilution medium on post-thaw sperm survival. Spermatozoa incubated with ≥1.5 mg CLC exhibited increased (P < 0.05) cholesterol concentrations. Pretreatment of spermatozoa with 1.5 mg CLC resulted in improvements (P < 0.05) in all post-thaw parameters. Glycerol addition at 4°C also improved all post-thaw parameters compared with 22°C. Dilution of thawed spermatozoa in an egg yolk-based medium improved (P < 0.05) motility compared with Ham’s F-10 culture medium. In summary, our findings indicate that modifying cholesterol content within the plasma membrane improves the cryosurvival of Asian elephant spermatozoa. The development of an improved cryopreservation method that includes modification of membrane cholesterol and the addition of glycerol at 4°C, as reported in the present study, is an important step towards utilisation of cryopreserved spermatozoa in captive management of this species.

Additional keywords: gamete, genome resource bank, storage.


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