Cryoprotectants & Cryopreservation of Equine Semen: A Review of Industry Cryoprotectants and the Effects of Cryopreservation on Equine Semen Membranes

However, early efforts to incorporate AI into production schemes were limited by the functional lifespan of ejaculated spermatozoa. Therefore, widespread the use of AI Cryopreservation (CP) is the ability to store cells and maintain their integrity and viability at a sub-zero temperature until needed. Like some of the greatest discoveries, CP of semen was the result of a fortunate lab error. In 1949, Ernest John Christopher Polge and his colleagues were focused on trying to use sugars as cryoprotectants (CPO) using what they thought was a stock fructose solution [1]. Polge’s research was the beginning of a formidable industry, and decades later we are still striving to make improvements.