Freezability and DNA integrity of dromedary camel spermatozoa in semen collected by artificial vagina and electro-ejaculator

Abstract EN

Two methods of semen collection from dromedary camel bulls, including electro-ejaculation (EE) versus conventional artificial vagina (AV) were compared in term of their effects on reaction time, physical semen characteristics, sperm biometry, alkaline comet assay of spermatozoa, sperm freezability.

Effects on concentration of testosterone, some minerals and biochemicals as well as activity of some enzymes in blood serum of camel bulls were also evaluated.

Results showed that using EE significantly increased reaction time, total sperm output per ejaculate, head length and tail width of spermatozoa, total percentage of sperm head showing comet and serum aspartate transaminase (AST) activity.

On the other hand, EE significantly decreased sperm cell concentration, serum cholesterol, magnesium, zinc, inorganic phosphorus and testosterone concentrations.

However, ejaculate volume, percentages of total motility, forward motility, dead, abnormality and acrosome damage of spermatozoa, head width, tail length, and total length of spermatozoa, grades of comet assay, sperm freezability, concentration of total proteins and their fraction, serum Na, Ca and K concentrations and activity of alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were not affected by collection method.

Electro-ejaculation is considered as a suitable and repeatable technique for semen collection from dromedary camel bulls when semen collection by conventional artificial vagina is not possible.