Acta Vet. Brno 2026, 95: 225-236
Effect of various processing techniques on the quality of liquid-stored epididymal spermatozoa in stallion
Processing and storage of stallion epididymal spermatozoa are widely established procedures in equine practice worldwide. It represents the final opportunity to preserve the genetic potential of valuable breeding stallions that die unexpectedly or require castration for various reasons. Although some stallions retain a portion of progressively motile spermatozoa comparable to that of ejaculates collected using an artificial vagina, cryopreservation generally results in reduced progressive motility and, consequently, reduced fertilizing potential of the insemination dose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 24-h interval between castration and epididymal sperm recovery, and to assess the efficiency of different centrifugation procedures and storage in two extenders (INRA 96, EquiPlus) used for cooled stallion insemination doses. Sperm motility parameters were analysed using a CASA system, and the resulting data were statistically evaluated using a linear mixed-effects model. The results showed that samples processed with INRA 96 had significantly higher values for most evaluated CASA parameters than those processed with EquiPlus. While the effects of storage conditions and centrifugation were not consistent across all evaluated parameters, extender type had the most pronounced effect on sperm motility and kinematic characteristics.
Keywords
Equine, retrograde epididymal flush, CASA, cushion fluid, centrifugation.
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by IGA VETUNI 2025 (Project No. 110/2025/FVL), without which this research could not have been conducted.
