Deep Freezing Trials of Arius arius (Hamilton-Buchannan) Spermatozoa

A major technological breakthrough in the field of artificial insemination is the advent of frozen semen technology permitting the preservation of semen for several years and spreading superior germplasm. The present study attempts to conserve the male gametes of the finfish Arius arius of the family Aridae inhabiting the estuaries of the south west coast of India. The milt collected from the mature males of A. arius was processed and stored at -196°C for a period of 300 days. When fructose was mixed with citrate glycerol, the survivability was 86.2 ? 1.8% on day 0 and 83.85 ? 1.8% survivability on the 300th day of storage. Glucose + citrate glycerol combinations gave a survivability of 85.7 ? 1% on day 0 and 83.25 ? 1.2% on the 300th day of storage. In mannitol citrate + glycerol combinations, the motility on day 0 was 70 ? 1.5% and 65.9 ? 1.7% motility on the 300th day of storage at -196°C. In Tris glycerol + mannitol combinations, the motility on day 0 was 85 ? 1.9% and survivability on the 300th day of storage was 65.9 ? 1.8%. The present results show that glucose-glycerol combinations produced good fertilization rates (above 50%) and that the Tris diluent showed better fertilization than citrate diluent. The fructose + glycerol combination also achieved a level of fertilization comparable to that of glucose + glycerol. Mannitol combinations resulted in lower levels of fertilization. This study proved that cryoresistance may be improved by the introduction of substances which might improve membrane stability and energetics of cells in media used in cryopreservation and also by providing optimum freezing conditions.