Short-term storage and cryopreservation of lake minnow (Eupallasella percnurus (Pallas, 1814)) sperm

Summary The aim of this study was to develop effective methods for short-term storage and cryopreservation of lake minnow Eupallasella percnurus sperm using extenders. A total number of 50 and 40 individual semen samples were collected in 2010 and 2013 year, respectively. The extenders – VRT (Volckaert's solution), TLP (modified Tyrode's solution) and BWW (Yanagimachi's solution) were used for short-term storage of semen. The cryopreservation was performed using a Tris-glucose buffer containing 10% of one of the cryoprotectants dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylacetamide (DMA) or methanol. The most effective extender for short-term storage was VRT, securing 50% of sperm motility for 9 days, while the TLP and BWW extenders were less effective but still considerably better than undiluted semen. The highest percentage of motility of cryopreserved sperm was obtained applying methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as cryoprotectants in Tris-glucose buffer which followed the sperm cryopreservation conditions established previously for cyprinid species.