Effectiveness of glycerol, DMSO and trehalose in the process of cryopreservation of drone semen from the species apis mellifera

Abstract

Cryopreservation of economically important or endangered animal species is becoming an increasingly popular practice in the field of reproductive biotechnologies. The mass extinction of honey bee (Apis Mellifera) colonies in the last decade requires the use of new chemical components in cryopreservation media for the storage of male gametes. A number of studies demonstrate conflicting data regarding the success rate and cytotoxicity of glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide and to a lesser extent Trehalose. Dimethyl sulfoxide is an organosulfur compound with low cryotoxicity which transforms into solids below room temperature and this property makes it suitable for cryoprotectant. The kosmotropic properties of glycerol allow it to create hydrogen bonds with water molecules, making it difficult to form intracellular ice crystals in the cryoprotective media. Due to its high-water retaining properties Trehalose can be used as cryoprotectant, but its effectiveness has not yet been thoroughly researched in relation to the cryopreservation of bee drone spermatozoa. The research aims to compare the effectiveness of each of the specified cryoprotectants regarding the preservation of spermatozoa from Apiss Mellifera drones.