Cryopreservation of stellate sturgeon, Acipenser Stellatus spermatozoa using MT extender

Using cryopreservation techniques are so important in conducting brood stock selection programs, species protection, and accessibility to the spermatozoa throughout the year. Normally, in the conventional method in Iran, the formulation based on egg yolk and DMSO has been employed to freeze the sturgeon sperm. In the present study, the MT extender (Modified Tsvetkova’s) which consists of the main components of methanol, sucrose, potassium chloride, and Tris has been used for the preservation of Acipenser stellatus spermatozoa, without using chemical substance DMSO and egg yolk. Our results demonstrated that the frozen sperm had at least 30% motility after one year of storage in nitrogen tank. The results of this research show that this extender could be used to preserve Acipenser stellatus spermatozoa. Since the sperm’s concentration of sturgeon species are similar, the usage of the MT extender can be suggested for other species of the sturgeons.