Problems of cryopreservation of male gametes of Gallus gallus domesticus – the role of membrane lipids (review)

Abstract

The review reveals the current state of knowledge of the plasma membranes molecular composition of rooster spermatozoa and its role in maintaining the morphofunctional integrity of cells under low-temperature stress.  The use of the method of cryopreservation of the semen in poultry breeding is still in the field of scientific development, since the level of fertility of the frozen-thawed semen is not high enough to be used for application in the commertial poultry flocks. When solving the problems of improving the quality of thawed roosters semen  it is necessary to rely on the effectiveness of cryoprotective media, as well as to determine the most vulnerable organells of structure of the spermatozoa apparatus during freezing. Rooster spermatozoa are surrounded by a unique plasma membrane, which includes a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), sterols, a number of phospholipids, glycolipids, which play an important functional role in the interactions between spermatozoa and oocytes and affect their ability to fertilize. The study of the lipid composition of the cell plasma membranel and its dynamic state is necessary to identify the key factors of cell cryoresistance; the manifestation of their quantitative and qualitative changes may indicate a possible degradation occurring inside the cells under conditions of low-temperature stress. This review presents the results of studies proving the exceptional role of the lipid composition of spermatozoa membranes in the mechanisms of cell cryoresistance and the preservation of their morphofunctional usefulness under thermal stress.