Evaluación del Efecto Combinado de la menaquiona-4 y L-Carnitina sobre la Crioconservación de Semen Ovino

Maria Flor Lema Guamán; Manuel Esteban Maldonado Cornejo; Juan Carlos Alvarado Alvarado; Andrés Leonardo Moscoso Piedra

doi:10.70577/ASCE/1906.1926/2025

Authors

Maria Flor Lema Guamán UCACUE https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0072-9515
Manuel Esteban Maldonado Cornejo UCACUE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1507-2280
Juan Carlos Alvarado Alvarado UCACUE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7240-179X
Andrés Leonardo Moscoso Piedra UCACUE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4017-0165

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70577/ASCE/1906.1926/2025

Keywords:

Antioxidant; Ecuador; Biological Effects; Oxidative Stress; Genetics; Biological Research.

Abstract

This biological research was conducted at the Reproduction Laboratory of the Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Ecuador, and focused on the cryopreservation of ram genetics, a process that negatively affects sperm functionality and viability due primarily to oxidative stress (OS) generated during freezing and thawing, as a consequence of the biochemical properties of the sperm plasma membrane. The study evaluated the post-thaw effect of L-Carnitine (1 mM) and Menaquinone-4 (1 mM), individually and in combination (1 mM × 1 mM), on ovine semen collected from a single ram, assessing vitality, viability, plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, and sperm kinetics using the Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) system. Significant differences (p<0.05) were detected in several parameters, where the membrane integrity (%HOST, p=0.002) indicated a negative effect associated with ionic imbalance, the high immotile index (p=0.047) reflected excess additives in the extender, and the reduced linearity (%LIN, p=0.005) was related to the absence of cofactors supporting antioxidant activity. The high variability among internal and external factors (replicates) affecting sperm performance suggests that antioxidant dosage and exposure times must be considered to better understand their synergistic or antagonistic biological effects under oxidative stress conditions.

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