Publications by authors named "Gasparrini B"

Freezing-thawing procedures and semen manipulation for in vitro fertilization induce oxidative stress, which in turn leads to impaired sperm quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether incubation of frozen-thawed buffalo semen with olive fruit extracts (OFE), known to contain a high concentration of phenolic antioxidants, would improve semen quality by reducing oxidative stress. Frozen sperm (4 ejaculates/4 bulls/3 replicates) were thawed and diluted to 30 × 10/mL in IVF medium with 0, 72, 143, and 214 μL/mL of OFE, corresponding to 0 (D0-control), 50 (D50), 100 (D100), and 150 (D150) μM hydroxytyrosol.

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Defining the optimal therapy for endometritis remains a significant challenge for clinicians. Given the public health threat posed by antibiotic resistance and the inconclusiveness of traditional therapies, regenerative medicine has been proposed as an alternative. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis, to investigate the efficacy of regenerative medicine products in the treatment of both post-breeding persistent and chronic degenerative endometritis (PBIE/CDE) in mares, following the PRISMA guidelines.

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The aim of this work was to assess the antioxidant status and the developmental competence of oocytes recovered by ovum pick-up (OPU) in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes supplemented with green tea extracts (GTE) for 90 days. Buffalo cows (n = 16) were randomly assigned to a control group receiving no supplement and a treatment group, receiving GTE starting 90 days before OPU, carried out for five consecutive sessions. Blood samples were collected before the start of supplementation with GTE (T0) and at day 45 (T1) and day 90 (T2) of supplementation, to measure ferric reducing activity (FRAP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT).

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of crocin on canine sperm quality parameters during prolonged storage at 4 °C. Ejaculates from 10 dogs were diluted in a TRIS- egg yolk extender supplemented with 0 (control group), 0.5, 1, and 2 mM crocin and stored at 4 °C.

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This study investigated the effect of the addition of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) to the freezing extender on the post-thaw quality of dog semen. Ten canine ejaculates were frozen following a two-step protocol using a tris-glucose-citrate egg yolk extender with or without the addition of 10 µl/mL of aqueous extract of Maca (Maca and ctrl groups, respectively). Prior to (fresh semen) and after freezing (T0) sperm motility, kinetic parameters, viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), as well as the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated.

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The domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), also known as water buffalo, comprises two sub-species the River buffalo (B. bubalis ssp. bubalis; 50 chromosomes) and the Swamp buffalo (ssp.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess how seasonal changes impact the metabolomic profile of ovarian follicles in Italian Mediterranean buffalo, particularly during the non-breeding season (NBS) when oocyte competence is lower.
  • Various components like follicular fluid, cells, and oocytes were analyzed using 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, revealing distinct seasonal differences in metabolite content.
  • The findings highlighted key metabolites linked to reduced oocyte competence, suggesting potential markers for improving oocyte quality during the NBS and informing strategies to enhance the in-vitro maturation (IVM) environment.
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Seminal plasma contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that vehicle RNA, proteins, and other molecules able to influence the biological function of sperm. The aim of this study was to improve the fertilizing capacity of male gametes of low-fertility bulls using EVs isolated by ultracentrifugation from the seminal plasma of a bull of proven fertility. After dose-response curve, 10×106 sperm of low-fertility bulls were co-incubated for an hour with 400×106 EVs/ml.

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The aim of this study was to verify the reliability of an open access CASA software (BGM) to evaluate the sperm motility of cattle and buffalo, comparing motility and kinematic parameters to those of a commercial one (HTM). Thirty frozen-thawed samples for each species were analyzed with both HTM and BGM, after 1 h of incubation at 37 °C. Sperm viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated through flow cytometric analysis.

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In buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reproductive seasonality, causing cycles of milk production, is one of the major factors affecting farming profitability. Follicular fluid (FF) contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) playing an important role in modulating oocyte developmental competence and carrying microRNAs (miRNAs) essential for in vitro fertilization outcomes. The aim of this work was to characterize the FF-EVs-miRNA cargo of antral (An) and preovulatory (pO) follicles collected in the breeding (BS) and non-breeding (NBS) seasons, to unravel the molecular causes of the reduced oocyte competence recorded in buffalo during the NBS.

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Article Synopsis
  • The 90K Axiom Buffalo SNP Array aims to enhance genomic analysis in buffalo, which currently lags behind cattle in genomic research and production data.
  • A new method called pGBLUP was introduced, utilizing cattle QTL information to improve genomic predictions for specific buffalo milk traits, showing promise in simulations compared to traditional methods.
  • The study suggests that while the overall performance of prediction methods did not differ significantly, improvements in sample size, SNP chip density, and biological data accuracy could enhance future genomic predictions in buffalo.
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The reduced oocyte competence recorded during the non-breading season (NBS) is one of the key factors affecting the profitability of buffalo farming and limits the IVEP efficiency. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate whether season influences the lipid content within the ovarian follicle in the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. Abattoir-derived ovaries were collected during the breeding season (BS) and the NBS, and different matrices (follicular fluid, oocytes, cumulus and follicular cells) were recovered.

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Semen cryopreservation is arguably the most important method or technique contributing to the advancement of modern animal production. However, the quality of sperm after thawing is still highly variable. The addition of antioxidant compounds to the freezing medium has been used customarily to counteract the harmful effects of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that are produced during the freeze/thaw process.

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gene plays an important role in the activation of various important hormone receptors and transcriptional factors involved in the regulation of adaptive thermogenesis, gluconeogenesis, fiber-type switching in skeletal muscle, mitochondrial biogenesis, and adipogenesis, regulating the reproduction and proposed as a candidate gene for milk-related traits in cattle. This study identified polymorphisms in the gene in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes and their associations to milk production and quality traits (lactation length, peak milk yield, fat and protein yield, and percentage). As a result, a total of seven SNPs (g.

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Isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) enhances circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels. Furthermore, fertility rate of breeding bulls is positively correlated to seminal plasma IGF-I concentration. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of dietary CLA supplementation and inclusion to the semen extender on bovine semen quality and freezability.

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embryo production and embryo transfer (ET) in buffaloes has been developed for decades. However, most studies are focused on the donor or laboratory improvements, and there is a lack of reports regarding the recipients. Therefore, our aim was to investigate factors associated to pregnancy (P/ET), pregnancy loss (PL), and calving rates in buffalo recipients.

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The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of different FSH doses and FSH coasting times before ovum pick-up (OPU) on follicular growth and oocyte competence in buffalo. Experiment 1 involved two different FSH treatments: 40 mg FSH given three (FSH3) or six (FSH6) times, 2 days after dominant follicle removal were tested, with OPU carried out after 40-44 h of coasting. In experiment 2, OPU was carried out after FSH6 protocol followed by 28-32 h (C1), 40-44 h (C2), or 64-68 h (C3) of coasting time.

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The study aimed to evaluate if the sperm telomere length can be considered as a new biomarker for sperm quality in bulls. Sperm Telomere Length was evaluated by Monochrome Multiplex Quantitative PCR in group A (n = 8) and group B (n = 8) bulls, classified according to standard semen analysis. Also, this parameter was measured before and after Percoll gradient separation within bulls that produced semen of satisfactory quality.

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Season clearly influences oocyte competence in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis); however, changes in the oocyte molecular status in relation to season are poorly understood. This study characterizes the microRNA (miRNA) and transcriptomic profiles of oocytes (OOs) and corresponding follicular cells (FCs) from buffalo ovaries collected in the breeding (BS) and non-breeding (NBS) seasons. In the BS, cleavage and blastocyst rates are significantly higher compared to NBS.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focused on assessing corpus luteum (CL) development and early pregnancy diagnosis in Mediterranean buffaloes synchronized for artificial insemination.
  • Daily B-mode/color Doppler ultrasonography measured CL size and blood flow, with blood samples taken for progesterone (P) analysis from Days 5 to 10 post-synchronization.
  • Results showed a 50% pregnancy rate on Day 45, with significant differences in CL area, progesterone levels, and blood flow velocity between pregnant and nonpregnant buffaloes, indicating that these factors can help predict pregnancy outcomes.
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Semen cryopreservation determines several sperm damages, including the loss of fertility-associated proteins. The purpose of the study was to compare the metabolite contents in bovine sperm and seminal plasma before and after cryopreservation, and between high- and low-fertility bulls in vitro. Forty-eight ejaculates, collected from eight bulls (six per bull), were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

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Article Synopsis
  • A genome-wide association study on Italian buffalo identified three significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to different aspects of mammary gland morphology, including anterior and posterior teat lengths.
  • Two genomic regions on chromosomes 10 and 20 showed significant signals for mammary gland characteristics, with chromosome 10 housing potential candidate genes ACTC1 and GJD2 that may influence mammary development.
  • The findings contribute valuable information on the genetic factors affecting buffalo mammary gland morphology, enhancing understanding of mammary growth regulation.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment of bovine semen with the pan-caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (Z-VAD-FMK), before or after freezing on semen quality. After the initial assessment, sperm from 4 bulls were pooled (Experiment 1) and cryopreserved in BioXcell containing 0, 20 and 100 μM Z-VAD-FMK. After thawing semen viability, motility, membrane integrity, as well as DNA fragmentation and ΔΨm were evaluated.

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