Field-Compatible Cytometric Assessment of Epididymal Alpaca Sperm Viability and Acrosomal Integrity Using Fluorochrome
2025
Alexei Santiani | Miguel Cucho | Josselyn Delgado | Javier Juárez | Luis Ruiz | Shirley Evangelista-Vargas
In remote alpaca breeding regions, access to advanced sperm analysis laboratories is limited. This study validates a practical cytometric method for evaluating sperm viability and acrosomal integrity in epididymal alpaca sperm using early fluorochrome staining, formaldehyde fixation, and intermediate storage. Thirty-two testes were transported at 5 °:C, and spermatozoa were collected from the cauda epididymis. After morphometric screening, 26 samples were included. Aliquots were stained with Zombie Green (viability) and FITC&ndash:PSA (acrosomal integrity), at time zero. Each aliquot was divided for cytometric analysis at T0 (immediately), T24 (24 h after formaldehyde fixation) and T1w (1 week post-fixation). Fixed samples showed higher viability and acrosomal integrity values (T24: 70.75%, 97.24%: T1w: 71.80%, 97.21%) than T0 (67.63%, 95.89%). This may reflect fluorescence alterations associated with fixation. Strong correlations and Bland&ndash:Altman analysis confirmed consistency across time points. This method enables accurate sperm quality evaluation up to one week after collection, offering a useful tool for reproductive monitoring in field conditions without immediate analysis. Further research on ejaculated semen and field protocols is recommended.
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