Artificial insemination is an important assisted reproductive technology that has been applied in several mammalian species. However, successful cryopreservation of semen of South American camelids has been limited, hindering the commercial application of artificial insemination in alpaca species. In this scenario, the addition of antioxidants to semen extenders provides a strategy to improve the freezability of mammalian sperm. Bioactive metabolites from natural extracts of black maca have shown valuable antioxidant properties. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of atomized black maca in the freezing medium of epididymal spermatozoa of alpacas. Fifteen pairs of epididymis were collected from a local slaughterhouse. Each sample was divided into six groups: (1) fresh, (2) yolk medium (YM), (3) 10 mg/mL maca, (4) 20 mg/mL maca, (5) 30 mg/mL maca, and (6) resveratrol (as an antioxidant control). Sperm cryopreservation was performed through the slow freezing method. Markers associated with functionality, such as motility, viability, and plasma membrane integrity, as well as markers associated with oxidative damage, such as DNA integrity, total ROS production, and mitochondrial function, were analyzed. The results show that the supplementation with black maca (20 mg/mL) improved the sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and mitochondrial function evaluated according to an index of formazan deposits. Similarly, the ROS production decreased with maca at 20 mg/mL, although the DNA integrity did not show any differences among the groups. These results suggest that maca at 20 mg/mL has cytoprotective effects during freezing/thawing of epididymal sperm of alpaca species. Further research will be focused on assessing the effects of maca supplementation on semen extenders by using biomolecular markers (proAKAP4) associated with fertility.

Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of Sphingomonas sp. strain FARSPH, isolated from an insect cell line as a contaminant.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of atomized black Maca in the cryopreservation medium of epididymal spermatozoa of alpaca species. Fifteen pares of testes and epididymis from alpacas of reproductive age were collected from a local (Huancavelica) slaughterhouse and transported in NaCl 0,9% at 10°C to the laboratory. Each sample of epididymal sperm was divided into six groups: 1) Fresh, 2) Yolk medium (YM), 3) YM+10mg/ml Maca, 4) YM+20mg/ml Maca, 5) YM+30mg/ml Maca, and 6) YM+ Resveratrol (antioxidant positive control). Sperm cryopreservation was performed through the slow-freezing method. Markers associated with functionality such as motility, vitality and plasma membrane integrity. Cellular markers associated with oxidative damage, such as DNA fragmentation, total ROS production and lipid peroxidation, were analyzed before and after freezing. The results showed that the supplementation with black Maca at 20mg/ml improved the sperm motility, viability and integrity of the membrane. Similarly, total ROS production decreased with Maca at 10 mg/ml (25 ± 2.23%) and 20mg/ml (20 ± 2.52%) (P<0.05). However, DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation were similar in all groups. These results suggest that Maca at 20mg/ml has a protective effect during the freezing/thawing process of epididymal sperm of alpaca species.

Los antígenos del sistema sanguíneo ABO se encuentran de forma soluble enmucosas, esta característica es llamada estado secretor y ha sido asociada condiversas condiciones patológicas. El objetivo del presente estudio fue generar elprimer reporte del estado secretor en una población peruana. Se seleccionó 102estudiantes universitarios, solicitando su consentimiento informado para verificarsu grupo sanguíneo mediante hemaglutinación directa y se les solicitó unamuestra de saliva. El estado secretor fue determinado aplicando inhibición de lahemaglutinación con la saliva, identificándose un 5% de individuos no secretores.Respecto al sistema ABO, el 76% presentó grupo O (antígeno soluble H); el 19%,grupo A y el 5%, grupo B. Se encontró una alta frecuencia del fenotipo secretor,por lo que se sugiere estudios para determinar la heterocigosidad y lasusceptibilidad a infecciones en función al tipo de antígeno secretado.

Among the in vitro embryo production (IVP) procedures, the in vitro maturation (IVM) is an essential step for the oocyte to achieve nuclear and cytoplasmic maturity (competence). In this line, supplementation of the IVM medium with resveratrol have been associated with higher oocyte competence in other species. On the other hand, a precise analysis of transcript levels in mammalian gametes and embryos requires the use of reliable reference genes (RGs) for data normalization. However, RGs specific to IVM of alpaca oocytes have yet to be identified, creating a barrier to functional gene studies in this species. Therefore, this study aimed to identify suitable reference genes to proper analyze gene expression patterns during IVM of alpaca oocytes. Four candidate transcripts (Gapdh, Actb, Rplp0 and Ppia) were selected and their stability during IVM with and without exposure to resveratrol was analyzed using RefFinder software (https://github.com/fulxie/RefFinder). The transcript levels of two target genes (Bmp15 and Sirt1) were normalized by the selected reference genes. Our findings indicate that, among the four candidate reference genes, Rplp0 and Gapdh were the most stable transcripts. Additionally, we observed that transcript levels of Bmp15 were differentially expressed after IVM in the presence of resveratrol (p<0,05). We also demonstrated that supplementation with resveratrol modulates the expression patterns of transcripts associated with chromatin remodeling and folliculogenesis. Thus, this is the first report evaluating suitable reference genes for alpaca oocytes, providing valuable tools to better understand oocyte physiology at the gene expression level of South American camelids.