Artificial insemination (AI), which entails handling and storage of the male gamete, is the assisted reproductive technology (ART) most popularly applied to domestic animals thanks to the several advantages that it provides compared to natural mating. Over 90% of cattle and pig breeding occurs by AI worldwide. In addition, ARTs represent an irreplaceable and powerful tool in conservation breeding programs to save endangered species from extinction. For all these reasons, it is important to optimize semen storage protocols by enhancing sperm lifespan without compromising sperm function. Additionally, it is of key interest to identify sperm traits that can predict the ability of the male gamete to withstand the preservation process using novel techniques and analyses. These approaches would translate into increased fertilization rates in AI outcomes that may have important economical and ecological implications.
In spite of the advances reached during the last decades, sperm damage induced by semen storage still represents a common and almost unavoidable side effect of semen handling and preservation procedures. Genetics and ejaculate traits have been shown to be implied in the sperm ability to withstand the preservation protocols but there are still gaps to fill to identify the causes of a poor sperm tolerance to semen storage. Moreover, several procedures (e.g., centrifugation, dilution, addition of cryoprotectants) and factors (osmotic and thermal changes) that occur before, during, and after sperm storage can induce a state of oxidative stress that finally impairs the sperm function. Furthermore, bacterial contamination may be responsible for a decline in sperm quality during semen storage. In this way, antimicrobial resistance, which represents a growing global threat for human and animal health, needs to be urgently addressed by replacing antibiotics with alternative compounds. Thanks to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, novel compounds like plant extracts and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), represent a promising supplement for semen extenders that can be economically and environmentally sustainable. In addition, the identification of sperm markers that can predict sperm resistance to storage protocols and oxidative stress can be useful for the screening of sires used for AI programs.
Potential themes include, but are not limited to:
- Predictive markers of sperm function and fertilizing ability
- Factors affecting sperm cryotolerance
- Sperm/semen predictive traits of sperm lifespan during preservation
- Effects of oxidative stress on sperm physiology during semen storage: causes, effects, and treatments
- Effects of bacteriospermia on sperm quality and during sperm storage
- Alternative additives for sperm preservation
- Novel compounds as substitutes of antibiotics for semen extenders
Artificial insemination (AI), which entails handling and storage of the male gamete, is the assisted reproductive technology (ART) most popularly applied to domestic animals thanks to the several advantages that it provides compared to natural mating. Over 90% of cattle and pig breeding occurs by AI worldwide. In addition, ARTs represent an irreplaceable and powerful tool in conservation breeding programs to save endangered species from extinction. For all these reasons, it is important to optimize semen storage protocols by enhancing sperm lifespan without compromising sperm function. Additionally, it is of key interest to identify sperm traits that can predict the ability of the male gamete to withstand the preservation process using novel techniques and analyses. These approaches would translate into increased fertilization rates in AI outcomes that may have important economical and ecological implications.
In spite of the advances reached during the last decades, sperm damage induced by semen storage still represents a common and almost unavoidable side effect of semen handling and preservation procedures. Genetics and ejaculate traits have been shown to be implied in the sperm ability to withstand the preservation protocols but there are still gaps to fill to identify the causes of a poor sperm tolerance to semen storage. Moreover, several procedures (e.g., centrifugation, dilution, addition of cryoprotectants) and factors (osmotic and thermal changes) that occur before, during, and after sperm storage can induce a state of oxidative stress that finally impairs the sperm function. Furthermore, bacterial contamination may be responsible for a decline in sperm quality during semen storage. In this way, antimicrobial resistance, which represents a growing global threat for human and animal health, needs to be urgently addressed by replacing antibiotics with alternative compounds. Thanks to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, novel compounds like plant extracts and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), represent a promising supplement for semen extenders that can be economically and environmentally sustainable. In addition, the identification of sperm markers that can predict sperm resistance to storage protocols and oxidative stress can be useful for the screening of sires used for AI programs.
Potential themes include, but are not limited to:
- Predictive markers of sperm function and fertilizing ability
- Factors affecting sperm cryotolerance
- Sperm/semen predictive traits of sperm lifespan during preservation
- Effects of oxidative stress on sperm physiology during semen storage: causes, effects, and treatments
- Effects of bacteriospermia on sperm quality and during sperm storage
- Alternative additives for sperm preservation
- Novel compounds as substitutes of antibiotics for semen extenders
