Raising Chilled Ram Sperm Quality with NMN

 

Introduction

Artificial insemination with chilled ram semen is commonly used method in livestock industry. But storing sperm in chilled conditions may cause changes in sperm membrane function and structure, and shortens its lifespan. Notably, supplementation of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can raise ram sperm quality during storage at 4°C.

Merits of artificial insemination with chilled ram semen

The adoption of artificial insemination with chilled ram semen can ensure good breeding stock and accelerate the reproduction. By this way, the risk of diseases such as vibriosis, trichomoniasis, vaginitis, leptospirosis and brucellosis, which are transmitted by rams in natural breeding, can be reduced to a large extent. In addition, this method allows crossbreeding or purebreeding, and reduces the number of rams to be bred, which is beneficial and cost-effective. Importantly, this method can greatly avoid the risk of dystocia or injury due to the big size difference between rams and ewes during breeding. Chilled semen can be preserved semi-permanently to send far away, avoiding the trouble of transporting or moving breeding animals.

The beneficial role of NMN in improving ram sperm quality

Supplementation of NMN markedly improves the sperm motility, as evidenced by the obvious increases in the motility parameters such as total motility, progressive motility, straight-line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), linearity (LIN), curvilinear velocity (VCL), and straightness (STR).



Meanwhile, NMN maintains the plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity.



Note:
(Figure A) White arrow: viable sperm with intact acrosome; green arrow: viable sperm with damaged acrosome; orange arrow: dead sperm with damaged acrosome; black arrow: dead sperm with intact acrosome
(Figure B) White arrow: sperm with an intact plasma membrane; orange arrow: sperm with a damaged plasma membrane

What’s more, NMN elevates the mitochondrial activity and antioxidant capacity, while reducing the sperm oxidative stress and apoptosis, as manifested by the downregulation of Cleaved-Caspase 3, Cleaved-Caspase 9, Bax, LPO, MDA, and ROS, as well as upregulation of Bcl-2, GSH and SOD in sperm.

NMN as an anti-oxidant to improve ram sperm quality

NMN can reduce ROS level and ROS-induced sperm damage to improve the quality of sperm, which may be attributed to its anti-oxidant property. Ram sperm contains a high content of PUFA in its plasma membrane, it is susceptible to oxidative stress. The antioxidants (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) in sperm can reduce free radicals to maintain sperm redox homeostasis and quench excessive ROS to prevent damage to sperm cells.

Conclusion

Supplementation of NMN can improve chilled ram sperm quality in vitro by reducing oxidative stress damage, showing its great potential in reproduction and breeding activities. The premium dosage of NMN vary in species. In view of its significant effect on ram sperm quality, the preferred dosage of NMN in this research is 60 μM.

Reference

Zhu Z, Zhao H, Yang Q, et al. β-Nicotinamide mononucleotide improves chilled ram sperm quality in vitro by reducing oxidative stress damage. Anim Biosci. 2024;37(5):852-861. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5713/ab.23.0379

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