Successful sperm cryopreservation in Egyptian spiny mice Acomys cahirinus

Abstract

The menstruating Egyptian spiny mouse has recently been proposed as a new animal model for reproductive health research. Unfortunately, little is known about reproduction in males. This study compared several characteristics of sperm function before and after cryopreservation. Epididymal spermatozoa were cryopreserved in different concentrations of raffinose and skim milk and tested for motility and membrane integrity (Experiment 1). Further evaluations of motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA integrity were conducted with the addition of l-glutamine to the extender (Experiment 2). The results show that, following cryopreservation, motility and membrane integrity were reduced, but were better maintained in the presence of l-glutamine (P<0.05). Moreover, although all sperm parameters were significantly reduced following cryopreservation (P<0.05), most cryopreserved spermatozoa retained acrosome, membrane and DNA integrity while also maintaining motility and mitochondrial membrane potential. This study provides a new step towards the development of assisted reproductive techniques and archiving the important genetics of the world’s only known menstruating rodent.