Vitamins - as possible components of cryoprotective mediums for preservation of boar sperm

Abstract

This paper presents some methods and approaches for cryopreservation of boar semen. Despite the long history of experimental research, most of these methods are still not effective enough for routine use in pig farms. The aim of our research was to identify the most effective traditional methods of cryopreservation of reproductive material and to determine the effectiveness of the inclusion of vitamins in the composition of synthetic mediums for dilution and freezing of boar sperm of Landrace breed. Through physiological and biochemical methods it has been established that vitamins of different nature and structure can be included in the composition of cryoprotective mediums, depending on the purpose of the study and their physicochemical properties. Experimental studies have revealed that the tested vitamins have a cryoprotective effect consisting in increasing of the absolute survival rate of reproductive cells when keeping them at room temperature. One of the mechanisms of the cryoprotective effect may be inhibition of the process of lipid peroxidation, which is confirmed by a decrease in the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA). As a result of the study of included vitamins, it was concluded that vitamin E (tocopherol) prevail from the tested vitamins. The antioxidant effect of vitamins, presumably, may be due to their inclusion in the composition of the active center of peroxidation enzymes that decompose reactive oxygen species.