
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Pribenszky, C. 
A1  - Molnár, M. 
A1  - Horváth, A. 
A1  - Kútvölgyi, G. 
A1  - Harnos, A. 
A1  - Szenci, O. 
A1  - Dengg, J. 
A1  - Lederer, J. 
T1  - 128 IMPROVED POST-THAW MOTILITY, VIABILITY, AND FERTILITY ARE ACHIEVED BY HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE-TREATED BULL SEMEN
JF  - Reproduction, Fertility and Development
JO  - Reprod. Fertil. Dev.
Y1  - 2006
VL  - 19
IS  - 1
SP  - 181
EP  - 182
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/RDV19N1AB128 
N2  - Previously, we reported that high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) significantly improves post-thaw survival of frozen mouse and IVP bovine blastocysts, presumably from the induction of shock proteins (Pribenszky et al. 2005 Anim. Repr. Sci. 87, 143&#8211;150; 2005 Repr. Dom. Anim. 40, 338). We also have reported increased post-thaw survival of HHP-treated boar and bull semen (Pribenszky et al. 2004 Repr. Fert. Dev. 17, 199&#8211;200; 2005 Repr. Fert. Dev. 18, 162&#8211;163). We now report further data on the effect of HHP treatment on motility, viability, and fertility of frozen&#8211;thawed bull semen. HHP treatments were executed by a computer-controlled pressurizing device (Cryo-Innovation, Ltd., Budapest, Hungary). Semen of 21 bulls was diluted individually to a sperm concentration of 8 × 107 mL-1 with AndroMed® or Triladyl® extenders (MiniTüb, Tiefenbach, Germany). Diluted sperm was loaded into 0.25-mL straws at 25°C, and then divided into 2 groups: one group was treated with a HHP pulse defined and optimized earlier (30 MPa for 90 min); the other group was held at 5°C for the corresponding time. After HHP, treated samples also were placed at 5°C for 3&#8211;4 h. After equilibration at 5°C, samples were frozen (10 min at -110°C, and then plunged into LN2). Straws were thawed in a 35°C water bath for 30 s. Progressive motility was assessed by the CASA system (MiniTüb). Experiments were replicated twice for each bull. Paired t-test was used to analyze data. HHP treatment significantly increased the post-thaw motility of the frozen semen of the bull population examined. The mean of the differences was 21.14% (95% confidence interval: 13.56&#8211;28.72); P = 1.08 × 10-5. The post-thaw motility of 3, 7, and 5 of the 21 bulls increased by an additional 35&#8211;60%, 25&#8211;35%, and 10&#8211;25%, respectively; no effect was seen for 6 of the bulls. Four of the 7 bulls with low (3&#8211;19%) post-thaw motility were improved to the range of 43&#8211;70% by HHP treatment. Semen of 10 bulls was the subject of viability analysis individually. Sperm head, tail, and acrosome membrane integrity were evaluated with Kovacs-Foote staining (Kovacs and Foote 1992 Biotech. Histochem. 67, 119&#8211;124) and counting 300 sperm/sample. Paired t-test was used to analyze data. With HHP treatment, the proportion of the cells with intact tail, head, and acrosome increased significantly (P d 0.008). Eighty-two cows were inseminated with HHP-treated frozen&#8211;thawed semen; the 60 days non-return rate was 90.24%, whereas the 60 days non-return rate in the same population and time without treatment was 82.3% (n = 4789). Data were analyzed with the exact binomial test. HHP treatment significantly improved the non-return rate (P = 0.035; 95% confidence interval: 0.83&#8211;1.00). HHP treatment substantially increases the post-thaw semen quality of the bull population. Also, the semen of a proportion of bulls with very low semen freezability can be increased to the range where it can be frozen commercially. Further investigations are needed, including large-scale field trials incorporating the insemination of the otherwise low freezers and the biological background of the process. This work was supported by GVOP-TST050157 and Besamungsanstalt Klessheim. 
ER  -

