EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CRYOPROTECTIVE AGENTS ON SKIM MILK AND 
DIMITROPOULUS EXTENDER FOR STALLION SEMEN CRYOPRESERVATION

R. I. Arifiantini, B. Purwantara, T.L. Yusuf and D. Sajuthi
Department of Clinic, Reproduction and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Bogor Agricultural University, Darmaga, Bogor 16680 - Indonesia
Corresponding E-mail:  Iis_arifiantini@telkom.net

Received November 17, 2009 ; Accepted February 27, 2010

ABSTRACT

Cryoprotective agents (CPAs) protect sperm during cryopreservation. The objective of this study 
was to assess different CPAs on stallion semen cryopreservation. Skim milk (SM) and Dimitropoulos 
(DV) were the extenders used in this study; each was added by glycerol (Gly), combination of ethylene 
glycol-glycerol (EG+Gly) or dimethilformamide (DMF). Each semen sample was evaluated and divided 
equally into six tubes; semen in the three tubes was diluted 1:1 with (SM), while in the remaining tubes 
the  semen  was  diluted  1:1  by  DV.  After  being  diluted,  all  tubes  were  centrifuged  at  1006xg  for  10 
minutes. The supernatan discarded, the pellet was rediluted by SM trehalosa or DV trehalose, and added 
by G, EG+Gly, or DMF to reach the final sperm concentration of 200x106/ml. The extended semen was 
individually packed in 0.3 ml minitube, equilibrated at 4oC for 2 hours, frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor 
for 10 minutes, and then was stored in liquid nitrogen container at -196 oC. After 24 hours, the semen 
was thawed at 37 oC for 30 second. There were no significantly different (p>0.05) on the percentages of 
motile and viable sperm in SMT (21.7% and 43.4%, respectively) compared with those extended with 
DV T extender  (26.9% and 50.8%, respectively). DMF demonstrated better results as CPA compared to 
the others; and DVTDMF combination had the best protection during cryopreservation in this study. 

Keywords: cryopreservation, stallion sperm, sugar, cryoprotective agents

INTRODUCTION

Stallion  semen  has  low  freezing  capability; 
only  24%-40%  stallion  sperm  survived  after 
freezing  (Linfor  et  al., 2002;  Vidament  et  al.,  
2002; Alvarenga  et al.,  2004). Drastic changes in 
temperature during chilling,  freezing,  or thawing 
of semen, and changes in osmotic pressure during 
preservation  with  cryoprotectants  cause 
significant  damages  on  the  sperm  plasma 
membrane. 

Cryoprotectant  is  a  substance  required  in 
semen  freezing.  The  ideal  cryoprotectants  have 
low  molecular  weight  and  low  toxicity,  and 
should  be  easily  diluted  in  distilled  water 
(Alvarenga  et  al., 2005).  Cryoprotectants can be 
classified  based  on  the  basic  ingredient;  alcohol 
group  (ethylene  glycol  and  alcohol)  and  amides 
(methylformamide  and  dimethylformamide). 
Glycerol penetrates bull sperm within 3-4 minutes 
(Berndtson and Foote, 1972);  it  is not  surprising 
that  glycerol  is  the  most  commonly  used 
cryoprotectant  to  freeze  bull,  ram,  buck,  and 

stallion semens. 
The cryoprotective capacity of  a compound 

is  dependent  upon  both  the  number  of  lone-pair 
electrons  the  compound  contains,  the  spherical 
symmetry  of  the  lone-pair  electrons,  and  the 
solubility of the compound in water (Nash, 1996). 
The toxicity of compounds to cells depends upon 
both  its  chemical  toxicity  to  cells  (Nash,  1996), 
and its osmotic toxicity (Gao et al., 1995), which 
is induced when the membrane permeability of a 
penetrating  cryoprotectant  is  much  slower  than 
water (Gao et al., 1995). 

The first report on amides as cryoprotectants 
in the freezing of stallion semen was in the year of 
2000;  since  then,  studies  on  amides,  such  as 
methylformamide  (MF)  and  dimethylformamide 
(DMF)  have  been  popular,  although  the 
mechanism  of  their  protection  to  stallion  sperm 
during freezing was poorly understood.  

Sugars such as glucose and fructose are the 
major  energy  source,  while  high  molecular 
weight-sugars  serve  as  extracellular 
cryoprotectants.  Sugars  are  often  used  as  non-

68 J.Indonesian Trop.Anim.Agric. 35(1) March 2010

mailto:Iis_arifiantini@telkom.net


penetrating  cryoprotectants  in  combination  with 
penetrating  cryoprotectants.  Differences  in  the 
cryoprotectant  abilities  of  different  sugars  have 
been demonstrated for bulls and rams.  Trehalose 
and  sucrose,  demonstrated  a  significant 
interaction between cooling rates and the presence 
of  sugars (Woelders  et  al., 1997).  Trehalose is a 
high  molecular  weight-sugar,  acts  as  an 
extracellular cryoprotectant (Rudolph and Crowe, 
1985). Supplementation of trehalose and EDTA in 
ram semen demonstrated a better preservation to 
the  percentage  of  motile  sperm  during 
cryopreservation  than  fructose  (Aisen  et  al., 
2000).

However,  equine  spermatozoa  cannot 
survive  freezing  without  a  cryoprotectant. 
Therefore,  there  is  a  need  to  evaluate  other 
cryoprotectants  that  might  be  less  toxic  than 
glycerol  to  stallion  spermatozoa.  This  study 
aimed  to  evaluate  the  quality  of  stallion  frozen 
semen  using  different  cryoprotective  agents  on 
skim milk and Dimitropoulus extender. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three  stallions  used  in  the  study  belong  to 
Athena Stable, Cinere-Depok; a fourth generation 
(F4)  Throughbred,  an  American  pinto,  and  a 

warmblood Swedish. All stallions were 5-8 years 
old,  healthy,  and  had  demonstrated  the  best 
quality on the daily sperm evaluation. 

An  less  state  all  chemical  were  obtained 
from  Merck,KgaA,  Darmstadt  Germany.  Two 
types of centrifugation extender used in this study 
were skim milk-glucose (Kenney et al., 1975) and 
Dimitropoulos (DV)  (Ijaz and Durchame,  1995). 
Skim milk-glucose extender was composed of 2.4 
g  skim  milk  (Tropicana  slim,  plain)  and  4  g 
glucose,  which  were  diluted  in  100  ml  Milli-Q 
water. The mixture was heated for 10 minutes at 
92-95 oC, allowed to cool, and then it was filtered, 
added by 100 mg Streptomycin (Meiji, Japan) and 
100,000 IU Penicillin (Meiji, Japan). DV extender 
consisted of two parts, solution A and solution B. 
Solution A was composed of 12 g glucose and 12 
g fructose, which were diluted in 600 ml Milli-Q 
water;  the mixture was heated for  15 minutes at 
95°C,  allowed to cool,  and then it was stored in 
the  refrigerator  for  a  maximum  of  a  week. 
Solution B was composed of sodium citrate, 9.4 g 
glycin  and  3.5  g  sulfanilamide,  which  were 
diluted in 1000 ml Milli-Q water; the mixture was 
heated  until  it  reached  100°C,  allowed  to  cool, 
and then it was stored at ambient temperature for 
a  maximum  of  a  week.  DV  centrifugation 
extender  was  made  of  30%  solution  A,  50% 

Stallion Semen Cryopreservation (R. I. Arifiantini et al.) 69

Extender
amount

G EG DMF
Skim (%)

Skim milk powder (g) 2.4 5 3&3 5
Glucose (g) 4

100
50

Streptomycin (mg) 100
Penicillin (IU) 100000

1089 1317 1234
DV

50 5 3&3 5
Glucose – EDTA (ml) 25

50
20
0.5

Streptomycin (mg) 100 100 100 100
Penicillin (IU) 100000 100000 100000 100000

1380 1392 1158

Tabel 1. Composition of Extender

Mili-Q water (ml)
Trehalosa (mM)

Osmotic pressure (mOsm/kg)

Lactose 11% (w/v) (ml)

Trehalose (mM)
Eggyolk (ml) 
Equex STM (ml)   

Osmotic pressurev(mOsm/kg)
Glukosa – EDTA  consist of  : Glucose 60 g; sodium citrate  3,70 g;  Na2 –EDTA  3,70 g 
(Merck,KgaA, Darmstadt Germany) ;  NaHCO3 1,20 g (Merck,KgaA, Darmstadt Germany) and milliQ 
water  ad 1000 ml.  G = glyserol: EG = etylen glykol and glyserol; DMF= dimethilformamid



solution  B,  and  20%  egg  yolk;  the  mixture  was 
centrifuged, and then 1000 IU Penicillin and 1 mg 
Streptomycin  were  added  per  milliliter 
supernatant.

Skim milk-based frozen semen extender was 
supplemented  by  50mM  trehalose.  DV  frozen 

semen  extender  was  composed  of  50  ml  11% 
(w/v) lactose, 25 ml glucose-EDTA solution (60 g 
glucose, 3.70 g sodium citrate, 1.20 g NaHCO3, 
diluted  in  1000  ml  Milli-Q  water),  20  ml  egg 
yolk, 0.5 ml equex  (orvus es paste, Novo, USA), 
supplemented by 50mM trehalose. Each extender 

70 J.Indonesian Trop.Anim.Agric. 35(1) March 2010

Freezing step
G EG DMF G EG DMF

Motile (%)
Viable (%)
After equilibration
Motile (%)
Viable (%)
After thawing 
Motile (%)
Viable (%)
RR (%) 35.1 19 42.2 41.2 24.7 53.6

Tabel 2. Mean (±S.E.M.) Percentage of Progressive Motile and Viable Sperm of Stallion 
Frozen Semen  Diluted in Skim and DV with Different Cryoprotective Agent

Skim trehalosa DV trehalosa

Raw semen  
67.5±7.2 a 67.5±7.2 a 67.5±7.2 a 67.5±7.2 a 67.5±7.2 a 67.5±7.2 a

78.4±7.7 a 78.4±7.7 a 78.4±7.7 a 78.4±7.7 a 78.4±7.7 a 78.4±7.7 a

56.0±9.1 b 52.0±9.2 b 57.5±8.9 b 55.5±9.9 b 52.0±11.1 b 57.0±9.8 b

68.5 ±7.0 b 65.9±8.6 b 68.3±7.2 b 71.2±8.7 ab 72.2±7.1 ab 71.3±7.6 ab

23.7±6.4 d 12.8±5.0 e 28.5±5.6 d 27.8±5.5 d 16.7±5.5 e 36.2±7.3 c

45.2±8.5 fg 37.1±8.3 h 48.0±10.3 ef 53.4±10.5d e 39.6±9.0 g h 59.3±12.1 d c

Different letters in superscript at the same rowdeminstrate significant different (P<0.01); G (gliserol); EG 
(etilen glikol dan gliserol); DMF(dimethilformamide); SM (spermatozoa motil); SH (spermatozoa hidup) 
and  RR (recovery rate)

Parameter
G DMF G EG&G DMF

16.2±4.5 14.8±2.9 16.1±1.5 16.5±4.5 19.1±2.6 17.6±0.8
19.9±11.5 23.5±5.5 28.2±3.3 27.2±10.0 29.6±5.3 32.3±2.6

DSL (µm) 11.7±2.1 11.2±2.1 12.0±0.8 11.3±1.5 12.6±1.5 12.5±0.8
VAP (µm/s) 40.4±9.4 37.9±8.3 40.1±3.9 41.8±11.1 47.9±7.6 43.0±2.4
VCL (µm/s) 59.9±14.3 61.0±15.8 68.9±9.3 69.3±19.8 76.9±7.8

29.8±4.4 29.13±6.0 30.3±2.1 28.7±3.6 31.9±4.4 30.4±2.4
STR (%) 72.0±0.1 79.0±0.1 75.0±0.1 69.0±0.1 71.0±0.1 71.0±0.0
LIN (%) 50.0±0.1 52.0±0.1 44.0±0.1 43.0±0.1 44.0±0.0 39.0±0.0
WOB (%) 66.0±0.1 66.0±0.1 58.0±0.0 61.0±0.1 66.0±0.0 54.0±0.0

3.9±1.0 4.0±0.8 4.7±0.3 4.3±0.3 4.3±0.4 5.0±0.4
BCF (freq) 17.6±3.4 17.7±6.4 17.4±1.3 17.5±5.8 19.3±4.6 17.7±1.1

Gly: gliserol,  EG: Etilen glykol,  DMF : dimethilformamide

Tabel 3. Effect of Extender, CPAs and its Combination on the  Sperm Movement Evaluate 
with Sperm Vision

Skim trehalosa DV trehalosa
EG&Gly

Total motil (%) 65.0±7.5bc 42.0±13.4cd 71.6±11.6ab 69.5±3.8b 47.5±4.9c 78.9±7.6a

Progresif (%) 28.5±12.8b 11.9±4.3d 35.1±14.8ab 28.5±3.7b 19.5±4.1c 41.5±5.5a

DAP (µm)
DCL (µm)

74.1±14.2
VSL (µm/s)

ALH (µm)

Different letters in superscript in the same row demonstrate significant differences (p<0.05) 

DAP: dance average path velocity,  DCL: dance curvilinear velocity,  DSL:  dance straight line,  VAP: 
average path velocity, VCL: curvilinear velocity,  VSL:  straight line velocity,  STR: straightness, LIN: 
linearity, WO: wobble, ALH: Amplitude Lateral head displacement ,  BCF:  Beat cross frequency



was added by  the cryoprotectant, which conwas 
5% glycerol, ethylene glycol (3%)-glycerol (3%) 
combination  or  5%  dimethylformamide  (DMF) 
(Table 1). 

Semen  was  collected  using  a  modified 
artificial vagina which was made of a Nishikawa 
type artificial vagina (Japan) with a Missouri type 
semen collecting tube (Nasco, Fort Atkinson, WI); 
the  mouth  opening  of  the  collecting  tube  was 
covered by gauze to strain out the gel fraction of 
the ejaculates. Macroscopic evaluation on semen 
samples included volume (ml), color, consistency, 
and  pH  (pH-special  indicator  paper;  Merck, 
interval 6-8, scale 0.2). Microscopic evaluation on 
semen  samples  included  percentages  of  motile 
sperm and viable sperm, sperm concentration, and 
sperm  morphology.  Sperm  concentration  was 
measured using a Neubauer chamber; semen was 
diluted  1:  100  in  3%  NaCl.  Sperm  morphology 
was  evaluated  on  semen  smears  on  glass  slides 
stained  with  Williams.  The  good  quality  semen 
was equally divided into 6 tubes; skim milk-based 
centrifugation  extender  was  added  1:1  into  the 
first three tubes; DV centrifugation extender was 
added  into  the  remaining  three  tubes.  Extended 
semen in all tubes was then centrifugated for 15 
minutes at  1006 x g;  supernatant  was discarded, 
and the pellet  was added by the cryoprotectants, 
with the final sperm concentration was 200x106/
ml.  The  pellet  of  three  semen  samples  extended 
with  skim  milk  was  added  by  trehalose-glycerol 
(STGly),  trehalose-ethylene  glycol-gylcerol 
(STEG+Gly),  or  trehalose  DMF  (STDMF). 
Similarly,  the  pellet  of  three  semen  samples 
extended with DV was then added with trehalose-
glycerol  (DVTGly),  trehalose-ethylene  glycol-
gylcerol  (DVTEG+Gly),  or  trehalose  DMF 
(DVTDMF).  Semen  samples  were  individually 

packed  in  0.3  ml  Minitub  straws,  which  then 
arranged in cassettes, equilibrated for two hours at 
4-5oC  (Arifiantini  et  al.,  2007),  and  frozen  in 
liquid  nitrogen  vapor  (4  cm  above  the  nitrogen 
level) for 10 minutes before being stored in liquid 
nitrogen  container  for  24  hours.  Straws  were 
thawed  in  a  37 oC  water  bath  for  30  seconds. 
Motile  sperm  and  viable  sperm  were  evaluated 
subjectively  (quantitatively)  on  raw  semen,  and 
after  dilution,  after  equilibration,  and  after 
thawing.  As  comparison,  the  quality  of  thawed 
semen was evaluated with Spermvision (Minitüb, 
Tiefenbach,  Germany)  at  Center  of  Artificial 
Insemination in Ungaran, Central Java, Indonesia. 

Data  were  analysed  as  a  2x3  factorial 
analysis by random assignments of groups. Each 
of  the  two  experiments  had  four  replications. 
When  significant  differences  among  treatment 
were identified, comparisons between means were 
assessed  using  Duncan's  Multiple  Range  Test 
(Walpole, 1982).

RESULTS and DISCUSSION

Effects  of  Extender on  the  Quality  of  Frozen 
Semen

There were no significant different (p>0.05) 
on the percentages of motile and viable sperm in 
skim  milk  trehalose  (21.7%  and  43.4%, 
respectively)  compare  with  those  extended  with 
DV  trehalose  extender  (26.9%  and  50.8%, 
respectively) 

Effects  of  the  Cryoprotectants  on  the  Quality 
of Frozen Semen

Subjective  evaluation  demonstrated  that 
DMF demonstrated highest percentages of motile 
 and  viable  sperm  (40.5%  and  67.8% 

Stallion Semen Cryopreservation (R. I. Arifiantini et al.) 71

CASA Subjective

65.0±7.5 28.5±12.8 27.4±3.4 48.4±5.1
42.0±13.4 11.9±4.3 15.5±3.1 39.7±6.7

DMF 71.6±11.6 36.2±14.8 31.7±2.9 52.5±6.3
69.5±3.8 28.5±3.7 31.0±3.0 56.4±7.2
47.5±4.9 19.5±4.1 19.1±3.8 39.8±7.3

DMF 78.9±7.6 41.5±5.5 40.2±4.0 64.8±7.0

Tabel 4.  Mean (±S.E.M.) After Thawing Quality Evaluate Subjective versus CASA

 Extender
Cryoprotective 

agent Total motile
(%)

Progressive 
Motile (%)

Progressive 
Motile (%)

Viable 
Sperm (%)

Skim Trehalose Gly
EG+Gly 

DV Trehalose Gly
EG+Gly 

ST : Skim rehalosa ; DVT : DV trehalosa; Gly: glycerol; EG :etilen glykol  ; DMF : 
dimethilformamide; Data from 2 stallion



respectively);  followed  by  glycerol  (31.5%  and 
56.8%, respectively), and combination of ethylene 
glycol-glycerol (19.3% and 40.1%, respectively). 
This result compromise with those conducted by 
CASA, DMF had the highest percentages of total 
motile  sperm  (74.3%)  with  progressive  motility 
37.8%), followed by glycerol (67.2% and 28.5%, 
respectively) and the lowest of total motile sperm 
and  progressive  motile  was  ethylene  glycol-
glycerol (44.1% and 14.8%, respectively). 

Effects of Cryoprotectant and Extender on the 
Quality of Frozen Semen

Subjective  evaluation  demonstrated  that 
semen  extended  with  DVTDMF  demonstrated 
post-thaw  motility  (36.2%),  higher  than  those 
extended with STDMF (28.5%), DVTG (27.8%), 
STG  (26.7%),  DVTEG+Gly  (16.7%)  or 
STEG+Gly witch only 12.8% (Table 2)

Evaluation using CASA aggreement with the 
subjective  evaluation;  semen  extended  with 
DVTDMF  had  the  highest  percentage  of 
progressive  motility  (41.5%),  followed  by  those 
extended with STDMF (35.1%), STG (28.5%), or 
DVTG  (28.5%)  (Table  3).  Semen extended with 
STEG+Gly  had  the  lowest  percentages  of  total 
motile sperm and sperm with progressive motility 
which were 42.0% and 11.9%, respectively.

Studies  using  Sperm  Vision  on  the 
evaluation  of  stallion  sperm  were  limited;  some 
studies  using  CASA system  reported  that  sperm 
with  rapid  average  path  were  those  having  >30 
µm/s  curvilinear  velocity  (VCL).  The  mean  of 
VCL in this study was 68.4>30 µm/s; the sperm 
had rapid velocity in all entender groups.

The  mean  percentage  of  sperm  with 
progressive  motility  using  CASA  system  was 
different  by  1-2%  than  subjective  evaluation; 
exception was in STEG or STDMF, whereas the 
difference  was  4-5%  (Table  4).  This  fact 
suggested that the evaluator’s skill and experience 
were  important  on  the  subjective  assessment  of 
sperm motility. 

Cryoprotectants  can  be  classified  by  their 
role  in  cryopreservation  into  two  main  groups, 
namely  penetrating  agents,  which  maintain 
intracellular  and  extracellular  solute 
concentration, and non-penetrating agents, which 
maintain  only  extracellular  solute  concentration 
(Woelders  et  al., 1997).  Based  on  the  main 
component, cryoprotectants can be classified into 
alcohol  groups  (ethylene  glycol,  glycerol,  etc.) 
and  amides  (dimethylformamide,  acetamide, 
methylformamide,  etc.)  (Alvarenga  et  al., 2005). 

The mechanism of work, type, and concentration 
are  the  main  three  factors  which  influence  the 
quality of cryoprotectants to protect sperm during 
cryopreservation.  Cryoprotectants  prevent  ice-
crystals forming; however, they are toxic to sperm 
during  equilibration  and  post-thawing.  Stallion 
sperm  are  known  to  be  fragile;  the  right  semen 
extender and cryoprotectant are certainly needed. 

In  this  study,  DMF  in  ST  or  DVT 
demonstrated a better protection on sperm during 
freezing than glycerol or ethylene glycol-glycerol. 
This result was different from what was reported 
by Squires  et al. (2004), whereas 0.5 M glycerol 
had  a  higher  percentage  of  motile  sperm  (61%) 
than  those  with  methylformamide  (40%)  and 
dimethylformamide  (38%).  The  percentage  of 
motile  sperm  was  increased  to  48-54%  when 
higher concentration of MF and DMF (0.6 M or 
0.9  M)  was  used;  this  was  similar  to  glycerol 
(52%). The results of this study suggest that DMF 
had  the  best  protection  on  stallion  sperm  during 
cryopreservation;  this  was  in  agreement  with 
some previous  studies  (Alvarenga  et  al.,  (2004); 
Medeiros et al. (2002); Vidament et al., 2002). 
The  choice  of  cryoprotectants  is  based  on  their 
ability to protect sperm during freezing, and their 
low  molecular  weight,  which  is  important  in 
reducing  the  high  osmolarity-induced  sperm 
toxicity  by faster  and  easier  cellular  penetration. 
The molecular weights of ethylene glycol, DMF, 
and  glycerol  were  62.07;  73,  and  92.10, 
respectively. 

The  osmotic  pressures  of  STEG+Gly, 
STDMF,  DVTG,  DVTEG+Gly,  and  DVTDMF 
were 1089; 1317 ; 1234 ; 1380 ; 1392 and 1158 
mosm/kg,  respectively.  According  to  Meyers  et  
al.  (2004),  the  volume  of  stallion  sperm  is  24.4 
µm3,  with  the  tolerance  on  extender  osmolarity 
varies from150 to 900 mosm/kg, based on these, 
semen  extenders  with  osmotic  pressure  close  to 
900  mOsm/kg  are STG  and  DVTDMF.  In facts, 
semen extended with skim trehalose-glycerol had 
lower  post-thawing  motility  than  semen  diluted 
with  other  extenders  which  have  higher  osmotic 
pressure. It is assumed that the extender’s osmotic 
pressure,  main  component  of  extender,  and 
cryoprotectant’s  toxicity  influence  the  quality  of 
frozen semen post-thawing. 

DV extender combined with cryoprotectants 
appeared  to  protect  the  sperm  better  during 
freezing  than  skim  milk  extender,  which  was 
combined  with  the  same  cryoprotectants;  this  is 
due  to  the  perfect  components  of  DV  extender, 

72 J.Indonesian Trop.Anim.Agric. 35(1) March 2010



sodium  buffer  lechitin  and  lipoprotein  from  egg 
yolk.  The  lipid  component  of  semen  extender 
maintains the integrity of phospholipid bilayer of 
the cell membrane and protects sperm from cold 
shock  (Parks  and  Graham,  1992). It  is  believed 
that Equex STM (Orvus es paste) is able to store 
more lipids from egg yolk in semen extender. In 
addition, DV extender contains EDTA which is a 
calcium chelating agent (Crabo, 2001).

Previous studies demonstrated that  different 
types  and  concentrations  of  cryoprotectants  and 
different  breeds  of  the  stallion  had  different 
results;  the  type  and  concentration  of 
cryoprotectants  are  carefully  selected  for  every 
semen  samples  prior  to  freezing.  In  this  study, 
DVTDMF  was  the  best  semen  extender-
cryoprotectant  combination,  followed  by  DVT 
glycerol  and  SMTDMF.  It  was  concluded  that 
dimethylformamide was the best cryoprotectant of 
the stallion semen in this study. 

Stallion sperm have a low tolerance to cold 
shock; this appears correlated to differences in the 
phospholipid  composition  on  their  plasma 
membrane.  The  arachidonic  acid  (unsaturated 
fatty acid) in stallion sperm is higher (18.2%) than 
in bull (3.5%) and ram (4.5-5%) sperm (Chow et  
al., 1986; White, 1993). The inverse proportion of 
docosapentaenoic  acid  (DPA;  22:5)  and 
docosahexaenoic  acid  (DHA;  22:6)  on 
phosphatidylcholine  and  phosphatidylethanol-
amine  may  responsible  to  the  sensitivity  of 
stallion  spermatozoa  to  damage  during 
cryopreservation  (Gadella  et  al., 2001).  White 
(1993)  reported  that  DPA in  bull  sperm  is  very 
low; while in stallion sperm it reached 17.2%. In 
contrast,  Chow  et  al. (1986)  reported  that  the 
DHA was as high as 61.3% and 61.4% in bull and 
ram  sperm,  respectively;  while  it  was  7.6%  in 
stallion sperm. 

For  most  substances,  melting  and  freezing 
points  are  approximately  equal  (Brown  and 
Brown, 2000). The melting points of DHA, DPA 
and arachidonic acid are -44oC, -54oC and -49oC, 
respectively  (VanderJagt  et  al., 2003).  The  high 
DPA  and  arachidonic  acid  concentration  on 
stallion  sperm  plasma  membrane  with  their  low 
melting  points  are  believed  contributing  to  the 
speed differences between extra- and intra-cellular 
freezings. The high freezing point of the fatty acid 
on stallion sperm plasma membrane causes lower 
tolerance  to  cellular  damage  than  bull  or  rams 
sperm.  Bull,  ram,  and  stallion  sperm  have 
differences in osmotic water permeabilities, which 

are 10.5-10.8 µm min-1atm-1, 8.47 µm min-1atm-
1, and 26,0 µm min-1atm-1, respectively (Noiles et  
al.,  1993).  The  lower  melting  point  of  plasma 
membrane  along  with  the  rapid  movement  of 
water  from  inside  the  cell  during  stallion  sperm 
freezing,  the  faster  extracellular  freezing;  this 
causes water to move out from inside sperm to the 
extracellular  environment,  and  sperm  become 
progressively dehydrated. 

CONCLUSION

In  this  study,  DMF  demonstrated  a  better 
protection  to  the  sperm  during  semen  freezing 
than  glycerol  or  glycerol-ethylene  glycol 
combination  and  DV  extender  combined  with 
DMF  had  the  best  results  than  other  semen 
extender-cryoprotectant combination groups. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thanks  to  the  Athena  Stable  owners  and 
keeper  for  supplying  the  equine  semen  and 
Bondan Achmadi for technical help. 

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74 J.Indonesian Trop.Anim.Agric. 35(1) March 2010