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Review
. 2023 Sep;47(3):1125-1137.
doi: 10.1007/s11259-023-10159-1. Epub 2023 Jul 11.

Effect of male age on semen quality in domestic animals: potential for advanced functional and translational research?

Kenneth Owoicho Abah  1 , Alain Fontbonne  2 , Agnieszka Partyka  3 , Wojciech Nizanski  3
Affiliations
Review

Effect of male age on semen quality in domestic animals: potential for advanced functional and translational research?

Kenneth Owoicho Abah et al. Vet Res Commun. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Age and other factors like season and breed are often associated with sperm quality and fertility in domestic animals. Even though many studies assessed the relationship between the age of the male and sperm parameters, the effects have not been comprehensively evaluated. Changes in semen quality from pubertal (young) to adult and old age were identified in the bull, ram, buck, boar, dog, and stallion, respectively. The review discusses the association between male age and semen volume, the total number of spermatozoa per ejaculate, sperm concentration, motility, morphology, sperm cell function, sperm DNA integrity, oxidative stress, and antioxidant activity in these species of animals. Generally, semen characteristics improve to a certain age, which declines as the animal ages. Only a few studies evaluated the impact of advanced age or employed advanced functional sperm assessment methods to assess age-related changes in sperm quality and male fertility. Such studies in the dog or stallion, for instance, may contribute to advancing knowledge in human-assisted reproductive techniques used in patients of advanced paternal and maternal age.

Keywords: Age; Animal; DNA fragmentation; Embryo quality; Sperm parameters.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Possible mechanisms of sperm cell aging. Created using https://www.biorender.com
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Possible gaps in domestic animal age-related changes on sperm cell function
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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