The success of artificial insemination (AI) in the swine industry relies on conserving the quality of boar sperm during liquid storage, as boar spermatozoa are prone to oxidative stress due to the high polyunsaturated fatty acid content and lack of antioxidant defenses. Sperm motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and DNA stability are all affected by the increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) during storage, which lowers fertility. Ethyl pyruvate (EP), a stable derivative of pyruvate, has good antioxidant properties and has been shown to protect sperm quality in vivo. Its effects on boar sperm during in vitro preservation have not yet been investigated. This study investigated the effect of different concentrations of EP (0.1–1 mM) in Beltsville thawing solution at 17°C on the sperm quality parameters of boar spermatozoa over five days. Changes in sperm motility, viability, acrosome integrity, chromatin stability, and ROS were observed. The results showed that boar spermatozoa stored with 0.25–0.75 mM EP showed a significant increase in sperm motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and chromatin stability compared with the control (without EP) and 1 mM EP for 5 days. Compared to the control and 1 mM EP, ROS levels statistically decreased in sperm stored in 0.25–0.75 mM EP on both storage days 3 and 5. Our findings demonstrated that 0.25–0.75 mM of EP could enhance the boar sperm quality and mitigate the oxidative stress during liquid storage, thus revealing a strategy to improve fertility rates during AI in pig production.

Abstract
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
    Preparation and storage of boar semen
    Measurement of sperm motility
    Sperm viability
    Acrosome integrity
    Chromatin stability
    Reactive oxygen species
    Statistical analysis
RESULTS
    Sperm motility increased in the presence of ethyl pyruvate during storage
    Ethyl pyruvate supplementation led to increased sperm viability during liquid storage
    Acrosome integrity improved when stored with ethyl pyruvate
    Sperm DNA was conserved in Beltsville thawing solution with ethyl pyruvateduring the storage
    Reactive oxygen species was notably decreased in the presence of ethyl pyruvateduring storage
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

• Malavi Arachchi Gamage Nayodya Dananjanee Malavi Arachchi Gamage(Department of Agricultural Education, College of Education, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea)
• Young-Joo Yi(Department of Agricultural Education, College of Education, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea) Corresponding author
• Wijesooriya Mudhiyanselage Nadeema Dissanayake(Department of Agricultural Education, College of Education, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea, Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea)