Effect of amino acids on cryopreservation of cynomolgus monkey (macaca fascicularis) sperm

Abstract

The effects of three amino acids (proline, glutamine, and glycine) added to the freezing medium Tes-Tris-egg yolk (TTE) for cryopreservation of cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) spermatozoa were studied. This is the first report on the effects of amino acids on nonhuman primate sperm cryopreservation. The addition of 5mM proline, 10mM glutamine, and 10 or 20mM glycine each significantly improved post-thaw sperm motility and membrane and acrosome integrity compared with the control (TTE alone). However, a significant decrease in motility and membrane/acrosome integrity was observed when amino acid concentrations increased to 60mM for proline and glutamine, and 80mM for glycine. The results suggest that adding a limited amount of amino acids to the freezing media is beneficial for freezing cynomolgus monkey sperm. Am. J. Primatol. 59:159–165, 2003.