Melatonin in semen extender did not improve quality of frozen-thawed feline sperm

  • Maria Gallelli Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Maria Amusquibar Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Evangelina Moncalvo Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Mercedes Muir Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Marcelo Rodriguez Laboratorio de Endocrinología, Núcleo de Investigación en Fisiología y Farmacología Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional Del Centro de La Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Debora Neild Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Marcelo Miragaya Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Cecilia Allera Catedra de Teriogenología, Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología en Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58292/CT.v18.14607
Keywords: Cryopreservation, extender, cat, melatonin, oxidative damage

Abstract

We evaluated impacts of melatonin addition to a tris-egg-yolk (TEY) semen extender on sperm quality after freezing cat semen. Sperm was obtained via urethral catheterization (UC) after medetomidine treatment and epididymal slices (ES) in 10 cats. Samples were frozen after dilution in a TEY extender with melatonin (2 or 3 mM) or without melatonin (control). Sperm quality was assessed before and after freezing. In raw semen, sperm progressive motility (PM) was greater (p = 0.004) in samples obtained by ES than by UC. Sperm PM, vigor and sperm with preserved membrane function significantly decreased in frozen-thawed samples compared to raw semen, without significant differences between collection methods. In postthaw UC samples, no significant differences were observed between control and melatonin (2 and 3 mM) groups, being the overall means as follows: sperm PM: 29.4%, sperm membrane function: 40.8%; sperm with condensed chromatin: 92.5 %, and live acrosome-intact sperm: 28.9%. In postthaw ES samples, no significant differences were observed between control and melatonin (2 and 3 mM) groups, being the overall means as follows: sperm PM: 36%; sperm membrane function:42%; sperm with condensed chromatin: 86%; and live acrosome-intact sperm: 32%. In conclusion, supplementation of the extender with melatonin (2 mM or 3 mM) did not improve sperm quality after freezing in cats.

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Published
2026-10-14
How to Cite
Gallelli , M., Amusquibar , M., Moncalvo , E., Muir , M., Rodriguez , M., Neild , D., Miragaya , M., & Allera , C. (2026). Melatonin in semen extender did not improve quality of frozen-thawed feline sperm. Clinical Theriogenology, 18. https://doi.org/10.58292/CT.v18.14607
Issue
Vol. 18 (2026): Issue in progress
Section
Technique Reports
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