Vitrification as an Alternative Approach for Sperm Cryopreservation in Marine Fishes.

The Southern Flounder is a high-value species and a promising aquaculture candidate. Because sperm volume can be limited in this species (<500 μL), new sperm cryopreservation methods need to be evaluated. Vitrification is an alternative to conventional slow-rate freezing, whereby small volumes are cryopreserved at high cooling rates (>1,000°C/min).

Progress and challenges of fish sperm vitrification: A mini review.

To survive low temperature is required for a long-term storage (cryopreservation), cells should be vitrified to a state in which intracellular water is solidified without ice crystal formation. Two different approaches are described for fish sperm cryopreservation: 1) sperm conventional cryopreservation, in which extracellular water is partially crystallized and 2) sperm vitrification, in which both intra- and extra-cellular liquids are vitrified. Sperm vitrification has been applied to some fish species with limited success.

Vitrification of Sperm from Marine Fishes: Effect on Motility and Membrane Integrity.

Our goal was to develop a standardized approach for sperm vitrification of marine fishes that can be applied generally in aquatic species. The objectives were to: 1) estimate acute toxicity of cryoprotectants over a range of concentrations; 2) evaluate the properties of vitrification solutions (VS); 3) evaluate different thawing solutions, and 4) evaluate sperm quality after thawing by examination of motility and membrane integrity. Sperm were collected from red snapper (), spotted seatrout (), and red drum ().

Sperm cryopreservation in live-bearing Xiphophorus fishes: offspring production from Xiphophorus variatus and strategies for establishment of sperm repositories.

Cryopreservation of sperm from Xiphophorus fishes has produced live young in three species: X. hellerii, X. couchianus, and X.

Preserving and using germplasm and dissociated embryonic cells for conserving Caribbean and Pacific coral.

Coral reefs are experiencing unprecedented degradation due to human activities, and protecting specific reef habitats may not stop this decline, because the most serious threats are global (i.e., climate change), not local.

Production of channel catfish with sperm cryopreserved by rapid non-equilibrium cooling.

This report describes the feasibility of using vitrification for fish sperm. Vitrification can be used to preserve samples in the field and offers an alternative to conventional cryopreservation, although it has not been systematically studied for sperm of aquatic species. The overall goal of the project was to develop streamlined protocols that could be integrated into a standardized approach for vitrification of aquatic species germplasm.

Production of F₁ offspring with vitrified sperm from a live-bearing fish, the green swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii.

This study reports the first production of offspring with vitrified sperm from a live-bearing fish Xiphophorus hellerii. The overall goal of this study was to develop streamlined protocols for integration into a standardized approach for vitrification of aquatic species germplasm. The objectives were to (1) estimate acute toxicity of cryoprotectants, (2) evaluate vitrification solutions, (3) compare different thawing methods, (4) evaluate membrane integrity of post-thaw sperm vitrified in different cryoprotectants, and (5) evaluate the fertility of vitrified sperm.