Changes in Semen Quality and In Vitro Sperm Capacitation during Various Frequencies of Semen Collection in Dogs with Both Asthenozoospermia and Teratozoospermia

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Eight male dogs with both asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia were used in this study. In experiment 1, semen was collected 10 times at intervals of 48 hr, 24 hr and 12 hr in 4 of the 8 dogs, and the semen quality was evaluated. In experiment 2, semen was collected 5 times at 24-hr intervals in the other 4 dogs. The spermatozoa collected on day 1 and day 5 were incubated for 4-6 hr in Canine Capacitation Medium, and the percentages of hyperactivated sperm (%HA), acrosome-reacted sperm (%AR), and the zona pellucida-binding sperm count (ZP sperm count) were assessed. The results of experiment 1 showed that the percentage of motile sperm increased and the percentage of abnormal sperm decreased markedly as the intervals between semen collections became shorter. When semen was collected at 12-hr intervals, the percentage of motile sperm increased from about 65%, the value before frequent collection was started, to about 80%, and the percentage of sperm with abnormal tails decreased from 30% to15%. In experiment 2, the percentages of HA and AR, and the ZP sperm count in specimens collected on day 5 were higher than those in specimens collected on day 1, and the differences in % HA and in ZP sperm count were significant (P<0.05). The results demonstrated that sperm motility, abnormality, and potential fertility in dogs with asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia can be temporarily improved by frequent semen collection.