CONTROLLED-PERMEABILITY MEMBRANE CONTAINER FOR CRYOPRESERVA-TION OF POULTRY SPERM

FROZEN POULTRY SEMEN IS NOT USED COMMERCIALLY BECAUSE THE CRYOPROTECTANTS MOST EFFECTIVE FOR SPERM SURVIVAL DURING FREEZING AND THAWING ALSO ARE CONTRACEPTIVE. SERIAL DILUTIONCENTRIFUGATION OR CONVENTIONAL DIALYSIS SUCCESSFULLY REDUCE CRYOPROTECTANT CONCENTRATION, BUT SUCH PROCESSES ARE COMMER-CIALLY IMPRACTICAL. OUR OVERALL GOAL IS TO DEVELOP AN INTE-GRATED SERIES OF PROCESSES AND DEVICES TO ENABLE PRACTICAL USE OF CRYOPRESERVED CHICKEN SPERM. WE WILL EVALUATE A SEMINAL CONTAINER WHICH:(A) IS INSOLUBLE IN AQUEOUS MEDIA DURINGLOADING AND FREEZING; (B) DEVELOPS, AFTER THAWING AND IMMER-MERSION IN APPROPRIATE DILUENT SOLUTIONS, PORES WHOSE SIZE AND NUMBER ALLOW EGRESS OF EXTENDER AND CRYOPROTECTANT AT A CONTROLLED RATE (THEREBY MINIMIZING CELL DAMAGE) WHILE THE SPERM REMAIN IN THE CONTAINER; AND (C) IS THEN DIRECTLY AT- TACHABLE TO AN INSETION GUN FOR FACILE DEPOSITION OF IN- DIVIDUAL DOSES OF SPERM INTO 25-200 HENS. FIVE EXPERIMENTS WILL EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY IN TERMS OF:(A) RATE OF EGRESSCRYOPROTECTANT FROM THE CONTAINER; (B) LACK OF TOXICITY OF CONTAINER MATERIAL TO CHICKEN SPERM;AND (C) EXTENT OF DAMAGETO CHICKEN SPERM WHEN SUCH CONTAINERS ARE TESTED FOR REMOVALOF CRYOPROTECTANT FROM UNFROZEN SAMPLES; (D) AS IN (C) BUT FROZEN THAWED SPERM; AND (E) PERCENT FERTILITY (DURATION) OFCHICKEN SPERM CRYOPRESERVED IN THESE PROTOTYPE CONTAINERS.