Ameliorating effect of royal jelly on viability and longevity of frozen-thawed buffalo spermatozoa

Abstract

Cryopreserved buffalo semen is generally acknowledged to have an impaired fertility by comparison with fresh semen. The reduction arises from both a lower viability post-thaw and sublethal dysfunction in a proportion of the surviving subpopulation. Thus, the present study was conducted to observe the effect of addition of royal jelly on subsequent survival and acrosomal integrity of buffalo spermatozoa during post-thawing incubation. Frozen-thawed semen samples were washed in Tris extender containing different concentrations of royal jelly (RJ): 0.0 control, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5%. Spermatozoa motility and viability in addition acrosomal integrity of thawed samples were assessed after thawing and at 30 min intervals during incubation at 37°C for 120 min. Results of experiment showed that the percentages of sperm function parameters were improved with an increase of royal jelly in Tris extender from 0.0 to 0.4% (P < 0.05). Statistical analysis for sperm motility and viability in addition acrosomal integrity (Tables 1, 2, 3) showed that best results (significant higher P < 0.05) occurred with RJ doses of 0.4 and 0.5% especially at 30-60 min incubation periods than that control. Therefore, the addition of 0.4% of royal jelly in Tris extender is recommended for dilution of thawed semen. These results indicated that addition of 0.4% RJ to Tris-buffer enhance and maintain the viability and longevity of buffalo spermatozoa for a long period and this additive can be used for increasing the possibility of collision between spermatozoa and ova during insemination.