Cryopreservation of Semen from Japanese White Rabbits for Use in Teratological Studies

Abstract

Cryopreservation of semen from Japanese White rabbits was examined to reduce the number of their males for use in teratological studies. Semen was frozen with liquid nitrogen, preserved, thawed, and tested for motility according to the method of Chen et al. Even after cryopreservation an average of 52% of the thawed sperms were motile. In a previous study, frozen- thawed sperms with a motility of 40% resulted in a high conception rate (approximately 88%) on artificial insemination when New Zealand White rabbits were used [5]. These results indicate the possibility that cryopreservation of semen from Japanese White rabbits may be used in teratological studies to reduce the number of males.