Seminal and spermatic characteristics of fresh semen and the effects of sperm cooling in Steindachneridion melanodermatum (Garavello, 2005)

Abstract

This study describes the seminal and spermatic characteristics of fresh semen of Steindachneridion melanodermatum and investigates the effects of dilution, temperature, and storage period on its spermatic parameters. Sperm samples were collected from nine hormonally-induced males. The following parameters in fresh sperm were analyzed: seminal plasma osmolality (OSM), seminal pH, sperm motility (MOT), sperm velocity (SV) (including sperm curvilinear velocity (CVV), sperm straight-line velocity (SLV), and sperm average path velocity (APV)), total time of sperm motility (TEMP), sperm concentration (CONC), and index of sperm normality (NORM). Sperm samples from each male were diluted in a solution containing 5% fructose and 5% powdered milk, and stored at 10°C and 25°C. The same was carried out for sperm samples not subjected to dilution. From these samples, MOT, CVV, SLV, APV, SV, and TEMP were measured after 0 h, 5 h, 9 h, 18 h, 27 h, 36 h, 45 h, and 54 h. Males released 11.74 ± 5.38 mL of sperm, with an osmolality of 258.78 ± 29.36 mOsm.kg-1 and pH of 7.11 ± 0.31. The sperm presented a MOT of 99.86 ± 0.31% at a concentration of 1.03 × 1010 ± 3.65 × 109 spermatozoa.mL-1 with CVV of 185.58 ± 14.11 ?m.s-1, SLV of 49.15 ± 4.66 ?m.s-1, APV of 87.02 ± 4.13 ?m.s-1, SV of 106.52 ± 4.45 ?m.s-1, TEMP of 79.31 ± 5.62 s, NORM of 75.81 ± 5.71%. The results indicate that sperm motility, sperm velocity, and total time of sperm activation were affected by dilution, storage temperature, and storage period (p < 0.05). Procedures for semen storage should be performed with undiluted sperm cooled at 10°C, or kept undiluted at 25°C for up to 27 h.