Hormonal stimulation of male African catfish in order to in vivo sperm obtaining for artificial reproduction purposes

Abstract

African catfish is a promising object of industrial fish farming with an urgent problem of in vivo sperm obtaining, which greatly limits the possibility of breeding this species. One of the widely used methods of obtaining sperm is hormonal stimulation of males followed by post-mortem extraction of the testes. Modern science also has surgical methods for intravital sperm collection from African catfish males with preliminary stimulation with hormonal drugs. However, the need for hormonal stimulation in Clarias gariepinus males is closely associated with the risk of developing postoperative complications, in particular in the form of hormonal shock, which can lead to the death. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of various hormonal spawning stimulants when used in the preparatory period of intravital surgical collection of sperm products from African sharptooth catfish, including the use of a new drug for fish farming, Fertagil (gonadorelin decapeptide), in comparison with the previously used Surfagon. It has been shown that the use of Fertagil at a dose of 100 μg/kg once intramuscularly 16 hours before surgery allows you to get good quality sperm with a high concentration (115.17±3.86×106 ml–1) and a significantly higher the period of motility after activation compared with the drug Surfagon, as well as with a moderate number (65.00±1.88%) of viable sperm. After using Fertagil, the risk of developing hormonal shock in the postoperative period is reduced compared to the currently widely used drug Surfagon.