By Staff Reporter
POLOKWANE-Dr Andrea Motswetla Raseona from Ga Mothapo in Polokwane becomes the first woman in Africa to produce in vitro cattle embryos using epididymal spermatozoa recovered immediately after bull slaughtering and 24 hours post-mortem.
During UNIVEN Graduation Ceremonies held on Thursday, July 14, Dr. Raseona graduated with her PhD, with a thesis title ‘the Effects of Spermatozoa Viability, Culture Receptacle, Incubation, and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection on In Vitro Produced Cattle Embryos Using Epididymal Spermatozoa’.
Dr Raseona is a Laboratory Technician in the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the University of Venda.
According to her study, one of the unique ways of preserving the male genetic material of cattle is the use of assisted reproductive technologies.
The research study focused on the production of in vitro cattle embryos using epididymal spermatozoa recovered immediately after bull slaughtering and 24 hours post-mortem by firstly seeking the effective spermatozoa extender and preservation method, and secondly by assessing the effects of culture receptacles and incubation methods following intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
In a series of experiments, ejaculated and epididymal bull spermatozoa were collected, chilled, cryopreserved and used for in vitro embryo production. She mentioned that the most important conclusion of her study was the finding that fertilisation and blastocyst development can be accomplished through intracytoplasmic sperm injection with cryopreserved bull epididymal spermatozoa recovered immediately after bull slaughtering or 24 hours post-mortem, using French semen straws as culture receptacles and goat doe vagina as an alternative incubator.
The thesis further encourages the use of French semen straws as culture receptacles and goat doe vagina as an alternative incubator to support in vitro embryo production, where a sophisticated animal reproductive laboratory is not available. From the study, four manuscripts were generated of which one has already been published in a peer-reviewed accredited journal.
Her Research Supervisor, Prof Danie Barry, said that it was a privilege to hand over a well-deserved PhD to Dr. Andrea Raseona because her research will have a major impact on the livestock industry in South Africa and in Africa as a whole.
Prof Barry explained that Dr Raseona’s study further indicated that, normally when a bull ejaculates it deposits 5 – 8 ml of sperm in the vagina of a cow. “This represents more than 10 billion of spermatozoa but only one will be lucky fellow that will penetrate the shell of the oocyte (egg) produced by the cow to grow into an embryo and later calf to be born 9 months later”.
