2. Academic Validation
  3. ZnO NPs protect boar sperm in liquid storage through increasing the phosphorylation of PKAs

ZnO NPs protect boar sperm in liquid storage through increasing the phosphorylation of PKAs

  • Anim Reprod. 2025 Apr 18;22(2):e20240025. doi: 10.1590/1984-3143-AR2024-0025.
Yuanyou Li 1 2,  Meiling He 1,  Haohan Ran 1,  Jie Wu 1,  Jing Lv 1,  Guangyu Liu 1,  Yifan Wang 1,  Zhongliang Jiang 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Laboratory of Gamete Biology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
  • 2 Key laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
PMID: 40276358 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-AR2024-0025
Abstract

It remains a problem to efficiently improve the boar sperm quality of liquid storage due to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) accumulation. To reduce the effects of ROS on boar sperm, in this study, 1 μg/mL zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was added into the extender of boar semen during liquid storage at 4°C and 17°C for 7 days. The finding revealed that sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity (PMI) and acrosome integrity significantly increased when compared with the control group (P ˂ 0.05) Additionally, ZnO NPs significantly increased the levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and antioxidation abilities (P ˂ 0.05) in boar sperm. Moreover, ZnO NPs could protect boar sperm from oxidative stress (OS) by inhibiting ROS-induced decrease of phosphorylation of PKA substrates (P-PKAs). Together, the current results suggest that ZnO NPs could be used as a novel antioxidant agent for semen preservation, which is helpful in improving the application of assisted reproductive technology in domestic Animals.

Keywords

ROS; ZnO NPs; boar sperm; liquid storage; protein phosphorylation.

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