Antibiotics, Penicillin and Sreptomycin improve semen quality indices of endangered Caspian brown trout, Salmo trutta caspius (Kessler, 1870) during in vitro short-term storage

Abstract

In this study, we examined the effects of 500 IU mL−1 penicillin + 500 μg mL−1 streptomycin sulphate on semen quality indices of endangered caspian brown during 12 days short-term storage at 4°C. Twenty-four millilitre semen samples with good quality were considered for the experiment. The semen samples were then stored in the presence and absence of 500 IU mL−1 penicillin + 500 μg mL−1 streptomycin sulphate. The semen quality parameters including percentage and duration of sperm motility were measured 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days after storage. In the antibiotic receiving group, the values of percentage and duration of sperm motility reduced 3 and 6 days after storage respectively and reduced to lowest levels at day 12. In the antibiotic-free group, the duration and percentage of sperm motility decreased significantly after 3 days of storage and reached to lowest values at day 12. Also, percentage and duration of sperm motility in each storage time were significantly higher in the antibiotic receiving group than in the antibiotic-free group. The overall values of percentage and duration of sperm motility for all storage periods were higher in the antibiotic receiving group than in the antibiotic-free group. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that 500 IU mL−1 penicillin + 500 μg mL−1 streptomycin sulphate improves the viability of caspian brown trout during short-term storage.