To determine whether sperm derived from the vas deferens could be retrieved and successfully cryopreserved, testes were collected from 20 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The males ranged in age from 3 to 19 yr with an average age of 8.5 yr. No sperm was obtained from three animals that were younger than 4 yr. The remaining 17 samples contained sperm with an average sperm cell number of 421.8+/-88.7x10(6) and an average motility of 72.8+/-4.4%. After 24h of culture in TALP medium at 37 degrees C in 5% CO(2) and 95% air, the overall motility decreased significantly in all samples regardless of treatment. Freezing in TEST (TES-Tris buffer)-yolk buffer containing 6% (vol/vol) glycerol had a significant effect on sperm, reducing the immediate postthaw motility to 42.4% in nontreated samples. Treatment with dibutyryl-cAMP and caffeine further reduced sperm motility after 4h in fresh sperm (72.8% vs. 50.4%) but increased motility in sperm that had been frozen (14.0% vs. 23.2%). The age of the male did not influence sperm concentration or grade but proved to be a significant factor in determining motility of frozen-thawed treated sperm, with lower motility found in samples from older males. Overall, the study demonstrates that motile sperm can be obtained from postmortem males, although subsequent studies will be needed to determine whether the quality is sufficient to facilitate its use in assisted reproduction.