T HE livability of stored bull spermatozoa is decreased by aerobic agitation (Prince and Almquist, 1948). Hydrogen peroxide has been implicated in defects of motility, livability and metabolism in spermatozoa of various species (MacLeod, 1943; VanDemark et al., 1949; Tosic and Walton, 1950; Wales et al., 1959). Investigations not involving spermatozoa have demonstrated that exogenous hydrogen p...

This study was aimed to analyze the metabolic activity and membrane integrity of boar spermatozoa following storage in long-term semen extenders. Boar semen was diluted with Androhep EnduraGuard (AeG), DILU-Cell (DC), SafeCell Plus (SCP) and Vitasem LD (VLD) extenders and stored for 10 days at 17C. Parameters of the analyzed sperm metabolic activity included total motility (TMOT), progressive m...

Glutathione peroxidase-5 (GPX5) is an H2O2-scavenging enzyme identified in boar seminal plasma (SP). This study attempted to clarify its origin and role on sperm survival and fertility after artificial insemination (AI). GPX5 was expressed (Western blot and immunocytochemistry using a rabbit primary polyclonal antibody) in testes, epididymis and accessory sex glands (6 boars). SP-GPX5 concentra...

In this study, different assays were used to assess the structural and functional integrity of the sperm plasma membrane following freezing-thawing of the whole ejaculates (WEs) and sperm-rich fractions (SRFs) of boar semen. Besides sperm viability assessments (motility and mitochondrial membrane potential using a mitochondrial specific dye, JC-1 with propidium iodide, PI), sperm plasma membran...

Cryopreservation of boar semen is still considered suboptimal due to lower fertility as compared with fresh samples when glycerol, a permeating cryoprotectant, is used. Trehalose is a non-permeable cryoprotectant and nonreducing disaccharide known to stabilize proteins and biologic membranes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cryosurvival and in vitro penetrability of boar spermatozoa w...

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) antigen was demonstrated in lungs, lymphoid tissues, intestines, and testes and accessory sex glands of an 11-month-old boar from a boar stud with a history of recent illness and infertility. At necropsy, the lungs failed to collapse and there was moderate cranioventral bronchopneumonia. Microscopically, there was severe multifocal suppurative and histiocytic br...

The objective of this experiment was to test a hypothesis that L-carnitine supplemented diet would improve semen characteristics in 6 adult crossbred AI boars (Hampshire × Pietrain). The control and the tested diet were identical except the tested period (8 weeks) when the diet was supplemented with 2 g of l-carnitine per boar per day. The semen was collected regularly weekly by a gloved-hand t...

The present work describes experiments undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of selected physicochemical indices of semen, cell membrane integrity and sperm chromatin structure for the assessment of boar semen sensitivity to processes connected with pre-insemination procedures. The experiments were carried out on 30 boars: including 15 regarded as providers of sensitive semen and 15 regarded as...

Without question, the implementation of artificial insemination (AI) has been the greatest achievement in swine reproductive technology during the last decade. Because AI in swine is not a new technology, the underlining technological enhancements of this procedure are most likely responsible for its recent popularity. It is widely accepted that reproductive performance as a result of AI can be...

A fertility trial was conducted comparing two methods of defining the optimum time to inseminate frozen boar semen. One hundred sixty-four gilts were inseminated, one-half at a fixed insemination time of 32 to 34 h after calculated onset of estrus and the remainder were inseminated on the basis of changes in the vaginal mucosal electrical resistance. Inseminations were made when the instrument ...