Biometria testicular e avaliação da qualidade dos espermatozoides epididimários de macaco-prego (Sapajus Libidinosus e Sapajus flavius)

Abstract

The collection of high-quality gametes plays a fundamental role in assisted reproduction procedures. The recovery of epididymal spermatozoa representing an important alternative in cases of animals that need to be sterilized or in cases of recent death, as the sperm cells obtained by this technique are morphologically viable and can be stored for future use in research or fertilization. Based on these aspects, the objective of this study was to evaluate testicular biometry and the quality of refrigerated epididymal spermatozoa diluted in skim UHT milk and Tris-egg yolk extender from capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus and Sapajus flavius), in order to broaden the knowledge regarding the reproductive aspects of this species. The average testicular length measurements obtained in the study were 21.55mm (left testicle) and 21.30mm (right testicle). The average width was 14.52mm and 14.15mm for the left and right testicles, respectively. Regarding the morphology of the sperm analyzed, the majority showed a total defect percentage of less than 5%. The Tris-egg yolk extender was more effective compared to skim UHT milk in preserving epididymal spermatozoa. Overall, this study reinforced the need for further research on primate reproduction, given the low number of studies produced on a group of interest for conservation purposes.