Peculiarities of the formation of sperm production and the course of peroxide oxidation in boars

Abstract

The intensive use of boars and receiving biologically complete valuable ejaculates from them is possible due to early assessment of the quality of sperm production and timely determination of their genetic potential. The research aimed to determine the peculiarities of the formation of sperm production and the course of peroxide oxidation in boars during puberty. For the experiment, 5–10 month-old boars of Poltava Meat, the Large White, and Myrhorod breeds were used. The quality of the obtained ejaculates was evaluated according to standard indicators according to the instructions for artificial insemination of pigs. The research results indicate a significant increase in the quantitative indexes of sperm production in young boars in the age range with different features for each breed. By the eighth month of life, a general tendency to increase the parameters in the received ejaculates is noted. In contrast, the highest increase in ejaculate volume and sperm concentration was found in young boars of the sebaceous direction of productivity on the 240th day of the development (4.6 and 1.9 times). The minimum motility and survival of gametes were observed at five months, regardless of the breed, with a gradual increase to maximum values at the seventh and eighth months of age, depending on the direction of animal productivity. The use of moderate sexual load for young boars after they reach the age of 9 months ensures the functional activity of sperm suitable for artificial insemination (motility above 80 % and survival above 70 %). The significant changes in the pro-oxidant-antioxidant homeostasis in the sperm of boars of 7–8 months occur in the direction of the acceleration of the peroxygen oxidation of lipids, which is evidenced by an increase in the content of diene conjugates and TBC-active compounds and an increase in the activity of enzymes of the antioxidant link. An earlier formation of pro-oxidant-antioxidant homeostasis in this secretion is noted in representatives of the meat and fat direction of productivity. Thus, the obtained results indicate significant age-related changes in the ejaculate parameters and peculiarities of the course of peroxide oxidation processes depending on the breed of boars.