Dietary omega-3 fatty acids from linseed oil improve quality of post-thaw but not fresh sperm in Holstein bulls

• Published in: Cryobiology 2020-04, Vol.93, p.102-108
• Main Authors: Khoshniat, Mohammad Taghi, Towhidi, Armin, Rezayazdi, Kamran, Zhandi, Mahdi, Rostami, Farnoush, Dadashpour Davachi, Navid, Khalooee, Fatemeh, Kastelic, John
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bull sperm; Cattle; Cryopreservation; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology; Linseed oil; Linseed Oil - pharmacology; Male; Omega-3 fatty acids; Semen Analysis; Semen Preservation; Sperm Count; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Spermatozoa; Temperature
• ISSN: 0011-2240; 1090-2392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2020.02.002

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a member of the n-3 fatty acid family present in fish oil, has several positive effects on bovine sperm, including membrane integrity, motility and viability, as well as cold sensitivity. Our objective was to investigate effects of varying amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from linseed oil, administered orally, on quality of fresh and frozen-thawed bull sperm. Twenty fertile Holstein bulls (874 ± 45.38 kg) were randomly and equally assigned to four groups and received encapsulated (rumen-protected) fats for 12 weeks, as follows: group P, 300 g palm oil; group Pl, 200 g palm oil + 100 g linseed oil; group pL, 100 g palm oil + 200 g linseed oil; and group L, 300 g linseed oil. Sperm quality of fresh and frozen-thawed semen was evaluated by routine assays including sperm motion characteristics (CASA), membrane integrity (eosin-nigrosin), membrane activity (hypo-osmotic swelling test; HOST) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. There were no significant differences among groups in semen volume, sperm concentration or sperm quality parameters in fresh semen. However, after freezing-thawing, total and progressive motility in group P (59.61 ± 1.95 and 40.19 ± 2.48%, respectively; LSM ± SEM) were lower (P