Insulin enhances drone semen quality after cryopreservation

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of insulin on drone semen quality after cryopreservation. Semen samples were obtained from sexually mature drones. The semen samples were pooled and diluted with varying concentrations of insulin lispro, specifically 5 IU (I-5), 10 IU (I-10), 15 IU (I-15), and 20 IU (I-20), as well as a control. The assessment of motility, plasma membrane integrity and DNA integrity was conducted using microscopy. Flow cytometry was used to assess acrosome integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and nitric oxide level. The preservation of motility, plasma membrane functional integrity, and acrosome integrity was significantly superior in the I-5 group compared to the control group. However, increasing levels of insulin had a detrimental impact on the integrity of the acrosome in both the I-15 and I-20 groups. The mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly elevated in the I-5 and I-10 groups compared to the control group. However, a statistically significant decrease was observed in both the I-15 and I-20 groups. We observed a significant decrease in nitric oxide levels in both the I-5 and I-10 groups as compared to the control group. The preservation of DNA integrity was significantly higher in the insulin containing groups compared to the control group. The study findings revealed that the inclusion of insulin lispro in drone semen extenders yielded beneficial outcomes for drone semen.