Boar Sperm Performance in Polystyrene Transport Cool Box Under Various Storage Conditions and Holding Times [RESEARCH NOTE]

Abstract

When transporting highly valuable boar semen samples over long distances, it is crucial to ensure that boar semen is stored ideally at approximately 15 – 17°C to minimize the impact of cold shock and oxidative damage on sperm quality. This study evaluated the performance of a commercially available semen and embryo polystyrene transport cool box, BotuFLEX^®, in preserving the quality of extended boar semen under different storage conditions and holding times. Boar ejaculates were extended at 1:1 or 1:3 using a commercial mid-term extender, stored in a BotuFLEX^® semen cool box, and examined 24 vs. 48 h thereafter (Experiment 1; n = 12), or 24 h after storage in air-conditioned room vs. ambient room (Experiment 2; n = 9) conditions. Comprehensive sperm motility using the Sperm Class Analyzer^® CASA system revealed no significant difference in either total and progressively motile sperm, and the combined progressivity and velocity characteristics across different treatments. Almost similar results were observed on sperm vitality using the standard supravital staining technique except that percent live spermatozoa were higher at 24 h of storage using the 1:1 dilution.