Seminal plasma biochemistry is a sensitive indicator of sperm responses to cold stress, yet its temporal and breed-specific dynamics in rabbits remain poorly defined. This study investigated temporal changes in key seminal plasma parameters of extended rabbit semen, including total proteins, albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) during 72 h of storage at 5°C, and their associations with sperm quality traits and oxidative stress biomarkers in New Zealand White (NZW) and Local Algerian Population (LAP) bucks. Eighteen semen pools (nine per breed) were analysed at 0, 4, 24, 48 and 72 h of storage. Distinct breed-specific responses were observed. The LAP bucks showed better resilience, with stable levels of total proteins and albumin, a smaller increase in triglycerides at 48 h (P<0.05) and a delayed significant decline in ASAT activity (48 vs. 4 h in NZW). In NZW, total protein accumulation correlated negatively with sperm quality, albumin and catalase, but positively with superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities (P<0.05). In LAP, ASAT activity correlated positively with sperm quality and albumin (P<0.05). Triglycerides emerged as a robust biomarker, showing consistent negative correlations with sperm quality traits in both breeds and with catalase activity when data from both breeds were pooled (P<0.05). Overall, proteins and ASAT acted as breed-specific indicators, whereas triglycerides represented a breed-independent marker of cold storage damage. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of improved semen diluents and could enhance semen analysis protocols during storage.
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Boulbina et al. (2026) studied this question.
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