QUALITY AND FERTILITY OF COOLED RABBIT SEMEN SUPPLEMENTED WITH CYCLIC-AMP STIMULATORS

Semen was collected from ten New Zealand White bucks by means of an artificial vagina. Ejaculates exhibiting active progressive motility and high concentration were pooled, diluted with Tris-based diluent, cooled to 5 degrees C over 2 h and stored at this temperature for 2 days. At each storage time, the cooled semen was supplemented with 5 mM of either caffeine or theophylline and incubated at 37 degrees C for 2 h. In the fertility trial, 43 New Zealand White does were inseminated with a dose of 0.5 mi (15 X 10(6) spermatozoa) of fresh, cooled or cooled semen supplemented with 5 mM theophylline.