Efecto de la L-carnitina y la melatonina sobre la criosupervivencia y fertilidad de espermatozoides de gallos criollos (Gallus gallus domesticus)

The production of Creole chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Ecuador is of transcendental importance in the economy and nutrition of rural and city families. Creole chicken has been considered a valuable genetic resource in backyard production, constituting an important economic resource and a basic product in the traditional diet. Therefore, it is necessary to search for biotechnological alternatives to maximize the use of this indigenous genetic material. Sperm cryopreservation and artificial insemination (AI) of birds has been used successfully in hens of different breeds; however, as far as we know, the use of these reproductive biotechnologies in Creole birds in Ecuador is deficient or null. Avian spermatozoa become vulnerable to free radicals (eg H2O2, O2- and OH-) due to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) present in the plasma membrane. Consequently, ROS easily combine with PUFAs and lead to the production of lipid peroxidation (LPO), causing decreased motility, viability and fertilizing capacity of rooster sperm. In this sense, this research evaluated the effects of ME and LC supplemented to the freezing medium on the cryosurvival and fertility of spermatozoa from Creole roosters (Gallus gallus domesticus).