Veterinary Andrology and Reproductive Techniques

ILLINI VARIABLE TEMPERATURE (IVT) DILUENT

IVT diluent can be used to store the semen for 3-6 days at room temperature.

• Van Demark and Sharma has evolved this diluent during 1957 at the University of Illinois, USA.
• They could preserve semen at room temperature with the help of carbon dioxide gas.
• Co₂ temporarily immobilizes spermatozoa and thus reduces their metabolism.
• The composition of IVT dilutor

S.No.	Composition	Quantity
1	Sodium citrate dehydrate	2.000 gm
2	Sodium bicarbonate	0.210 gm
3	Glucose	0.300 gm
4	Potassium chloride	0.040 gm
5	Sulphanilamide	0.300 gm
6	Distilled water	To make the volume up to 100 ml

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• The above contents are dissolved in boiling double/triple glass distilled water.
• It is cooled to room temperature and is saturated with carbon dioxide by bubbling the gas through it for ten minutes or until the pH reaches to 6.3.
• Egg yolk is mixed at 10 per cent level and then antibiotics are added. Then the semen is ampouled and sealed.
• Before placing the ampoules must be flushed with with Co₂.
• Semen ampoules are maintained best at room temperature of 20 to 25^oC and can be stored upto 6 days with 76 per cent fertility on non return basis. Ulaganathan (1970) reported that ascorbic acid supplementation (20 mg/100 ml) to the IVT diluent significantly improved the keeping quality of buffalo sperm stored at 21-31^oC.
• Use of CO₂ for semen preservation is more useful at places where semen is collected daily, so that semen may be dispatched without refrigeration.
• For longer storage of semen this method does not appear satisfactory.

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