Superoxide dismutase: a predicting factor for boar semen characteristics for short-term preservation

Superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in seminal plasma were evaluated on the basis of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis as predictors for distinguishing satisfactory from unsatisfactory boar semen samples after storage. SOD on day 0 correlated significantly with progressive motility (r=-0.686; P<0.05) and viability (r=-0.513; P<0.05) after storage; TBARS correlated only with motility (r=-0.480; P<0.05). Semen samples that, after 3 days of storage, fulfilled all criteria for semen characteristics (viability>85%, motility>70%, progressive motility>25%, and normal morphology>50%) had significantly lower SOD levels on the day 0 than those with at least one criterion not fulfilled (P<0.05) following storage. SOD levels of less than 1.05 U/mL predicted with 87.5% accuracy that fresh semen will suit the requirements for satisfactory semen characteristics after storage, while semen with SOD levels higher than 1.05 U/mL will not fulfill with 100% accuracy at least one semen characteristic after storage. These results support the proposal that SOD in fresh boar semen can be used as a predictor of semen quality after storage.