Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit
The use of antibiotics in livestock contributes to antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the need for alternative solutions. Among these, chelating agents, like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Chitosan, have shown potential in reducing bacterial contamination in seminal doses used in...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
MDPI
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9046 https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/1/55 |
| _version_ | 1855032900952522752 |
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| author | Marco-Jiménez, Francisco Ferriz-Nuñez, Celia Viudes-de-Castro, Maria Pilar Salvador Vicente, José Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura |
| author_browse | Ferriz-Nuñez, Celia Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura Marco-Jiménez, Francisco Salvador Vicente, José Viudes-de-Castro, Maria Pilar |
| author_facet | Marco-Jiménez, Francisco Ferriz-Nuñez, Celia Viudes-de-Castro, Maria Pilar Salvador Vicente, José Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura |
| author_sort | Marco-Jiménez, Francisco |
| collection | ReDivia |
| description | The use of antibiotics in livestock contributes to antimicrobial
resistance, highlighting the need for alternative solutions. Among these, chelating
agents, like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Chitosan, have shown potential in
reducing bacterial contamination in seminal doses used in artificial insemination (AI), while
preserving sperm quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of
EDTA and Chitosan as alternatives to antibiotics for the liquid storage of rabbit seminal AI
doses. Methods: EDTA (20 mM) and Chitosan (0.05%) were tested both individually and
in combination, by adding them to the semen extender, and their effects were compared
with extenders containing antibiotics or none. The extenders were evaluated for microbial
resistance and their ability to maintain sperm quality in vitro during refrigeration at
16 ± 1 ◦C for 72 h. To assess antimicrobial efficacy, Enterococcus faecalis was used. Seminal
doses stored for 24 h were used for insemination under commercial conditions, and fertility
rate and total kits born were evaluated. Results: Adding 0.05% Chitosan to the extender
resulted in sperm parameters and bacterial load comparable to those achieved with antibiotics
during refrigerated storage, yielding similar fertility rate and total kits born outcomes
24 h post-storage. In contrast, the use EDTA alone or in combination with Chitosan was
less effective at controlling Enterococcus faecalis than the antibiotic extenders, which also
resulted in a reduction of sperm total motility over storage period (0–72 h) and negatively
impacted fertility rate and total kits born. Conclusions: Chitosan’s protective effect on
sperm function, combined with its antimicrobial activity, makes it a promising alternative
antimicrobial agent for the liquid storage of rabbit seminal AI doses. |
| format | article |
| id | ReDivia9046 |
| institution | Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| publisherStr | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ReDivia90462025-04-25T14:49:54Z Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit Marco-Jiménez, Francisco Ferriz-Nuñez, Celia Viudes-de-Castro, Maria Pilar Salvador Vicente, José Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura sperm function total kits born embryonic losses fetal losses L53 Animal physiology - Reproduction Fertility Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Enterococcus faecalis The use of antibiotics in livestock contributes to antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the need for alternative solutions. Among these, chelating agents, like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Chitosan, have shown potential in reducing bacterial contamination in seminal doses used in artificial insemination (AI), while preserving sperm quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of EDTA and Chitosan as alternatives to antibiotics for the liquid storage of rabbit seminal AI doses. Methods: EDTA (20 mM) and Chitosan (0.05%) were tested both individually and in combination, by adding them to the semen extender, and their effects were compared with extenders containing antibiotics or none. The extenders were evaluated for microbial resistance and their ability to maintain sperm quality in vitro during refrigeration at 16 ± 1 ◦C for 72 h. To assess antimicrobial efficacy, Enterococcus faecalis was used. Seminal doses stored for 24 h were used for insemination under commercial conditions, and fertility rate and total kits born were evaluated. Results: Adding 0.05% Chitosan to the extender resulted in sperm parameters and bacterial load comparable to those achieved with antibiotics during refrigerated storage, yielding similar fertility rate and total kits born outcomes 24 h post-storage. In contrast, the use EDTA alone or in combination with Chitosan was less effective at controlling Enterococcus faecalis than the antibiotic extenders, which also resulted in a reduction of sperm total motility over storage period (0–72 h) and negatively impacted fertility rate and total kits born. Conclusions: Chitosan’s protective effect on sperm function, combined with its antimicrobial activity, makes it a promising alternative antimicrobial agent for the liquid storage of rabbit seminal AI doses. 2025-03-11T09:44:19Z 2025-03-11T09:44:19Z 2025 article publishedVersion Marco-Jiménez, F., Ferriz-Nuñez, C., Viudes-de-Castro, M. P., Vicente, J. S., & Lorenzo-Rebenaque, L. (2025). Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit. Antibiotics, 14(1), 55. 2079-6382 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9046 10.3390/antibiotics14010055 https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/1/55 en This research was funded through grant PID2021-127867OB-100 by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033 and by ERDF, “A way of making Europe info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico del Sistema de I+D+i/PID2021-127867OB-100 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ openAccess MDPI electronico |
| spellingShingle | sperm function total kits born embryonic losses fetal losses L53 Animal physiology - Reproduction Fertility Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Enterococcus faecalis Marco-Jiménez, Francisco Ferriz-Nuñez, Celia Viudes-de-Castro, Maria Pilar Salvador Vicente, José Lorenzo-Rebenaque, Laura Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title | Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title_full | Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title_fullStr | Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title_short | Chitosan-Based Semen Extenders: An Approach to Antibiotic-Free Artificial Insemination in Rabbit |
| title_sort | chitosan based semen extenders an approach to antibiotic free artificial insemination in rabbit |
| topic | sperm function total kits born embryonic losses fetal losses L53 Animal physiology - Reproduction Fertility Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Enterococcus faecalis |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9046 https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/1/55 |
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