EFFECTS OF ARGININE AND TREHALOSE ON POST-THAWED BOVINE SPERM QUALITY

The present study was conducted to examine the protective role of arginine and trehalose on post-thaw bull sperm and oxidative stress parameters. Five ejaculates for each bull were used in the study. Each ejaculate, split into three equal aliquots and diluted at 37 degrees C with base extenders containing 2 mM arginine, 25 mM trehalose and no antioxidant (control) was cooled to 5 degrees C and then frozen. Frozen straws were thawed in a water bath for evaluation. Supplementation of the semen extender with arginine decreased the percentages of post-thawed subjective motility (29 +/- 8.21%), CASA motility (12.2 +/- 5.69%) and progressive motility (3.52 +/- 2.13%), compared with the controls (43 +/- 2.73%, 55.4 +/- 6.78% and 33.48 +/- 4.14%, respectively, P < 0.05). Supplementation of the semen extender with trehalose produced a higher mitochondrial activity and sperm viability (36.3 +/- 3.99% and 44.1 +/- 2.18%) compared with the control (13 +/- 8.15 and 31.7 +/- 3.94%, respectively, P < 0.05). It was established that trehalose (95.1%) and arginine (92.8%) protect DNA integrity compared to the control (90.4%) (P < 0.05). Trehalose supplementation in semen extenders provided great benefit in terms of viability, mitochondrial activity, and intact sperm DNA on frozen-thawed bull sperm.