Effects of cryopreservation on motility characteristics and enzyme activity of sperm in a Chinese fish Nibea albiflora.

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence suggests that among the causes which deteriorate qualitative and functional characteristics of sperm after freezing and thawing, there are those linked to decrease of sperm motility and release of various enzymes in the cells and seminal plasma.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study, the motility, fertilization and enzyme activity of sperm were analyzed after cryopreservation.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Computer-assisted sperm motility analysis (CASA) was used to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation on sperm motility of Nibea albiflora.

RESULTS

The activities of total adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), creatine kinase (CK), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione reductase (GR) in fresh and frozen seminal plasma and spermatozoa were measured respectively. Cryopreservation led to a decline in the percentage of motile sperm, moreover, other parameters of sperm motion, curvilinear and straight line velocities, linearity were changed observably (p < 0.05), the fertilizing capacity of post-thaw sperm was lower than that of the fresh sperm significantly. After cryopreservation, the activities of total ATPase, CK, SDH, LDH, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px increased in seminal plasma and decreased in spermatozoa respectively, but GR activity varied contrarily, GR activity dropped in seminal plasma and increased in spermatozoa.

CONCLUSION

Cryopreservation had significant effects on the motility characteristics, fertilization ability and enzyme activity of the sperm of Nibea albiflora.