Efeito da adição de vitamina C e Trolox ao diluidor utilizado para criopreservação de sêmen ovino

Abstract

The antioxidant substances prevent the oxidative damages during freezing/thawing processes and incubation period caused by ROS to sperm cells, improving the sperm parameters (vigor, motility and acrosome integrity), besides avoid damages to DNA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin C and Trolox addition to diluent used to ram semen cryopreservation. The ejaculates of eleven rams were harvested by artificial vagina. After macrocospic (aspect, color and viscosity) and microscopica (motility and vigor) evaluation the pool was diluted in Tris-egg yolk (Exp. 1, 2 and 3) and Fiser (Exp. 2) and supplemented with antioxidant substances: G1) Diluent (Control); G2) Diluent + 600 mM/L of vitamin C; G3) Diluent + 60 mM/L of Trolox and G4) Diluent + 600 mM/L of vitamin C + 60 mM/L of Trolox. The freezing was done by automatized method using two curves: fast(C2= –0.5 oC/minute of 25 to 5 oC, and -12.5 oC/minute of 5 to –120 oC) to the Exps. 1 and 2, and slow (C1= –0.25 oC/minute of 25 to 5 oC, and –20 oC/minute of 5 to –120 oC) to the Exp. 2, and by conventional method (90 minutes), where after the refrigeration (5 °C) the samples were placed in liquid nitrogen during 10 minutes until reaching -120 oC (Exp. 2 and 3). The straws with 100 (Exp. 1), 75 (Exp. 2 and 3) and 200 (Exp. 2) x 106 spermatozoa were transferred into the liquid nitrogen storage container (-196 oC). The semen samples were evaluated after thawing (0 min; Exp. 1, 2, and 3) and after 30 (Exp. 1 and 2) and 60 min (Exp. 1, 2 and 3) of the incubation at 37 ºC according to progressive motility, vigor, oxidative stress, acrosome and DNA integrity (Exp. 1, 2 and 3) and sperm kinetics (MT, MT, VSL,VCL, VAP, LIN, STR, ALH, and BCF; Exp. 3). In the Exp. 1, there was significant difference (p<0.05) among evaluation times (0, 30 and 60 min) in the parameters of acrosome integrity and oxidative stress for the groups supplemented with vitamin C and Trolox and the Control group (p>0.05). However, in the Exp. 2 the percentages of PM, vigor and acrosome integrity had significant difference (p<0.05) between incubation times (0 and 60 min), being that the group supplemented with Trolox (G3) presented greater cell percentages with oxidative stress (p<0.05) when compared to the vitamin C group (G2). On the Exp. 3, there was evidence that the incubation time intervened on the sperm kinetics (MT, MP, VSL, VAP, LIN and STR), acrosome integrity and oxidative stress of sperm cells, besides presenting negative correlation between acrosome integrity and oxidative stress for the G3 group(Trolox), positive correlation between acrosome integrity and progressive motility to the G2 group (vitamin C) and negative correlation between oxidative stress and LIN to the G2 group(vitamin C) after 60 minutes of incubation. However, it can be concluded that the incubation time intervenes negatively on in vitro viability of the sperm cells independent of the vitamin C and Trolox adition; using the conventional method of cryopreservation of ram semen diluted in Tris-egg yolk, the vitamin C addition provides less oxidative stress on the spermatozoa after post-thawing; Using the automatized method of cryopreservation of ram semen diluted in Fiser, it should be used the slow curve of refrigeration (0.25 ºC/min) without necessity of vitamin C (600μM/L) and Trolox (60μM/L) addition and; Based on the kinetics, acrosome integrity, and oxidative stress, the addition of ascorbic acid and Trolox do not minimizes the negative effects of the cryopreservation and the incubation of ram semen at temperature of 37 oC after thawing.