The effect of storage time of the slaughtered rams epididymes at 5˚C on the motility of isolated spermatozoa pre and post-freezing

Spermatozoa recovered from the cauda epididymis of dead or slaughtered animals have many potential applications in the conservation of endangered species and breeds and also in the preserving the genetic potential of valuable males that un-intentionaly culed from herds. In these cases, the animal’s testes are usually isolated from the carcase and sent to the centers capable of recovering and freezing epididymal spermatozoa. Considering the effect of post-mortem time length on the quality of recovered spermatozoa in different sheep breds and other species, this study was aimed to evaluate the influence of storing isolated epididymes of Lori-Bakhtiary rams for 24 and 48 h post-slaughter at 5 ˚C on the motility and freezablity of spermatozoa recovered at these timepoints in comparison to these parameters at 2 h post-slaughter. Before freezing, the rates of total and progresive motility at the time of 2 h were significantly higher than those of 48 h (P<0.05). Other kinemetic parameters, except for STR, were significantly different between groups (P<0.05). After thawing, the progressive motility and velocity parameters of 2 h group were significantly higher than 48 h group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the quality and freezability of ovine epididymal spermatozoa recovered from epididymes stored in refrigarator for 48 h had considerably decreased.