P-116: Antioxidant Effects of MnTE and Catalase on Goat Sperm Motility Following Freezing and Thawing

Background: This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of a cell permeable antioxidant, Manganese (III) meso-tetrakis (N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin chloride (MnTE), alone or in combination with different concentration of Catalase on motility of frozenthawed goat semen. Materials and Methods: Fresh semen ejaculates were collected with artificial vagina from 3 goats, mixed and divided into four equal fractions, and diluted (1:20 v/v) with commercial extender, Bioxell®, containing no antioxidant (control), 0.1μM of MnTE, 0.1μM MnTE + 200 IU Catalase and 0.1μM MnTE + 400 IU Catalase. All diluted sperm suspensions were cooled to 5 °C for 2 hours followed by transfer into 0.5 ml French straws before being stored in liquid nitrogen. The straws were removed from the liquid nitrojen and thawed individually by immersion in a water bath at 37◦C for 30 second. Motility of spermatozoa in each sample was individually evaluated by Camputer Assisted Sperm Analyzer. Results: The results showed that combination of two antioxidants in freezing media for goat semen cryopreservation, improved sperm motility following thawing. Accordingly, total motility was higher in 0.1μM MnTE + 200 IU Catalase (41.11%) and 0.1μM MnTE + 400 IU Catalase (44.92%) groups which was significantly higher than those for control (31.57%) and 0.1μM MnTE (32.56%) groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that semen extender supplemented with MnTE in combination with Catalase can improve sperm motility due to reducing the oxidative stress provoked by freeze/thaw processes.