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A Novel Goat Model To Characterize Male Fertility Following Paternal Cannabidiol Exposure, Ashlyn N. Brewer, Kenneth R. Bondioli, Cathleen Williams, Clare Scully

LSU Master's Theses

Despite the increasing use of cannabidiol, both for medical and social purposes, the effect of cannabidiol on male fertility is poorly understood. Previous studies have been carried out in rodent models, but a large animal model does not exist at this time. This experiment proposes chronic cannabidiol (CBD) exposure using a goat model to understand the impact CBD has on male reproductive performance. The purpose of this project is to determine if daily exposure to CBD in male goats would impact reproductive parameters such as sperm quality and testosterone levels.

Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of CBD …

A Modular Open-Technology Device To Measure And Adjust Concentration Of Sperm Samples For Cryopreservation, Nikolas C. Zuchowicz

LSU Master's Theses

Repositories for aquatic germplasm can safeguard the genetic diversity of species of interest to aquaculture, research, and conservation. The development of such repositories is impeded by a lack of standardization both within laboratories and across the research community. Protocols for cryopreservation are often developed ad hoc and without close attention to variables, such as sperm concentration, that strongly affect the success and consistency of cryopreservation. The wide dissemination and use of specialized tools and devices can improve processing reliability, provide data logging, produce custom hardware to address unique problems, and save costs, time, and labor. The goal of the present …

Sperm Decondensation And Male Pronuclear Formation In Bovine Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Lauren Gatenby

LSU Master's Theses

This study assessed the effects both DTT and progesterone have on bovine spermatozoa to induce decondensation or the acrosome reaction in order to facilitate male pronuclear formation after ICSI. Sperm prepared by swim-up in a 5 mM concentration of DTT displayed time dependent morphological changes resulting in decondensation over a 6-hour period. An estimated 90% of treated sperm displayed early changes in morphology after the second hour of incubation. Sperm displaying partial decondensation of the nucleus was estimated as 42% by the 3^rd hour and increased to 62% by the 5^th hour of incubation. Fully decondensed sperm or …

Cryopreservation By Pellet Freezing Of Epididymal And Ejaculated Spermatozoa From Male Dogs, Brooke Fahrig

LSU Master's Theses

In this study, I evaluated the cryopreservation by pellet freezing of spermatozoa from individual dogs. In Experiment I, spermatozoa from 15 pairs of epididymides were suspended in glycerol, frozen as pellets of 10, 50, 100, or 200 μl volumes, and thawed by dilution with TALP (Tyrode's solution plus albumin, lactate, pyruvate). In Experiment II, spermatozoa from 16 pairs of epididymides were suspended in glycerol, dimethyl sulfoxide, or ethylene glycol, frozen as 100 μl pellets, and thawed by dilution with TALP, canine capacitation medium (CCM), or 3% sodium citrate solution. In Experiment III, spermatozoa from 15 pairs of epididymides were suspended …

Survival Of Canine Epididymal Sperm Under Cooled And Frozen-Thawed Conditions, Karla Stilley

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of the first experiment was to determine the effects of storage at 22„aC vs. 4„aC on the motility and percentage of membrane-intact sperm (%MIS) of epididymal mouse sperm. Testicles were allocated into 22„aC or 4„aC treatment groups and stored for 24 or 48 hours. Additional testicles were allocated into the 4„aC treatment for storage for 72 or 96 hours. Sperm was collected and analyzed at each time point. Storage at 22„aC lowered motility and %MIS (P<0.05) when compared with control sperm and 4„aC sperm at both the 24 and 48 hours. Motility and %MIS of 4„aC sperm did not decrease when compared with the control until after 72 hours of storage. The second experiment evaluated the effects of 22„aC vs. 4„aC storage for 24 and 48 hours on epididymal dog sperm. Motility and %MIS of the 22„aC sperm was lower than that of the 4„aC sperm and the control (P<0.05) at 24 and 48 hours. Motility of the 4„aC sperm was lower than the control at 24 and 48 hours (P<0.05), however %MIS was not lower than the control until 48 hours. The third experiment tested the effect of cryopreservation on epididymal dog sperm. Sperm was frozen immediately (A), after 48 hours at 4„aC in liquid (B) or after 48 hours at 4„aC of the whole testicle (C). Both pre-freeze (PF) and post-thaw (PT) motility and %MIS of B and C were lower than A (P<0.05). PT values were lower than PF values in all treatments (P<0.05). PT motility of B was lower than C (0 vs. 35.0¡Ó3.6%). Storage at 4„aC allows collection of motile epididymal mouse and dog sperm for several days after death. Dog testicles can be refrigerated for 2 days and epididymal sperm frozen with PT motility and %MIS of 35 and 62%.