EFFECT OF THE BREED ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES – SOD AND CAT IN RAM SPERM, BEFORE AND AFTER CRYOPRESERVATION

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT in sperm from different breeds of rams and their changes after cryopreservation. For this purpose, the ejaculates of a total of 24 rams of Ile-de-France, Synthetic Population Bulgarian Milk (SPBM), Lacaune and Sofia (Elin-Pelin) during their breeding season. Enzyme activities were determined spectrophotometrically. Statistically significant differences in SOD activity were found between breeds before freezing (from P≤0.001 to P≤0.05), which persisted even after thawing (P≤0.001), whereas in CAT activity significant differences between breeds were detected only after cryopreservation (from P≤0.001 to P≤0.01). In conclusion, animals of the Ile de France breed had higher antioxidant enzyme protection of sperm, which probably makes it more resistant to oxidative stress and determines better reproductive abilities.