Use of bioactive compounds to preserve boar sperm

The overall objective of this study was to investigate the use of natural antioxidants found in lowbush blueberries to increase the storage time of boar semen and decrease sensitivity to cold shock.

Four experiments were conducted to study the influence of lowbush blueberries on sperm lipid peroxidation, viability, motility, and capacitation status. In the first experiment, concentrations of total phenolics and total anthocyanins of lowbush blueberry products were compared using 3 different extraction solutions. In the second experiment, lowbush blueberry raw juice, frozen fruit, freeze-dried powder, and leaf extracts were incubated with boar semen in the presence of both ferrous sulphate and ascorbate.

In the third experiment, boar semen was incubated in the commercial X-cell™ extender alone, in the X-cell™ extender in the presence of blueberry leaf extract or powder extract at 5, 16, and 22°C, respectively. In the next experiment, sperm capacitation status in the 3 semen extenders at the 3 temperatures on day 2 was identified using chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescent assay. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).