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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2003 Publication Date: 6/25/2003 Citation: Purdy, P.H. 2003. Current status of cryopreserving goat semen. Annual Meeting for the American Society of Animal Science, June 25-27, 2003, Phoenix, Arizona. Interpretive Summary: The results of recent goat sperm cryopreservation research are highly variable. Frozen-thawed goat sperm motility, viability, acrosomal integrity and fertility differ dramatically between reports. Therefore, research should focus on obtaining a better understanding of goat sperm physiology so that assays can be developed to better assess the sperm cell quality and its fertility following cryopreservation. In addition, producers and scientists need guidelines for goat semen handling and cryopreservation, and culling of males based on reproductive characteristics. A concerted effort between producers and scientists that incorporates these guidelines should result in a better understanding of goat reproduction and consequently increased reproductive efficiency. This manuscript discusses the present state of goat sperm cryopreservation and its uses. Technical Abstract: The success of freezing goat sperm has been evaluated using several assays. Classically, sperm cell motility, viability, acrosomal membrane integrity, as well as other in vitro assays have been used to assess the success of cryopreservation and fertilizing potential. Ideally, multiple evaluations would be performed to evaluate how successful a freezing protocol is or how successfully a particular semen sample freezes. The definition of "successful" cryopreservation for mammalian sperm is a relative term, particularly when different species are compared. Dairy bulls have been selected for the ability of their sperm to "freeze well" and consequently dairy bull sperm repeatedly have high percentages of motile, viable sperm cells after freezing that are capable of fertilizing oocytes. On the other hand, sperm from bucks, rams, boars and stallions survive freezing less consistently and therefore are potentially less fertile. The purpose of this paper is to review the current status of cryopreserving goat sperm and includes a review of literature that describes the motility, viability, acrosomal integrity, and in vitro fertilization capabilities of frozen-thawed goat sperm. In addition, the review makes some comparisons between goat semen and semen from other species to help identify areas of research that could enhance the cryosurvival of goat spermatozoa. |
