Ferulago angulata extract improves the quality of buck spermatozoa post-thaw and counteracts the harmful effects of diazinon and lead.

ABSTRACT

During cryopreservation, spermatozoa are exposed to chemical or physical stress that has adverse effects on the quality of mammalian spermatozoa. Recently, much attention has been paid to environmental contaminants (ECs) in livestock, because of their detrimental effects on livestock productivity and fertility. ECs like diazinon (DZN) and lead acetate (LA) are considered ubiquitous and induced oxidative stress, which decreases spermatozoa quality. Since Ferulago angulata extract (FAE) has antioxidant properties, the present study investigated the effect of FAE supplementation in a freezing extender, in the presence or absence of DZN + LA, during cryopreservation, on the quality and fertility ability of buck spermatozoa after thawing. Pooled ejaculates were diluted with a freezing extender and supplemented with FAE (0.002%, w/v) in the presence or absence of DZN (100 µM) + LA (12.5 µM). Post-thaw spermatozoa parameters, ROS production, fertilization ability, and developmental competence of oocytes inseminated with FAE/DZN + LA treated spermatozoa were calculated. The results demonstrated that FAE improves cryopreserved spermatozoa motility, viability, membrane integrity, fertilizability, and developmental competence, and reduced spermatozoa ROS production in the presence or absence of DZN + LA. Besides, FAE significantly restored the adverse effects of DZN + LA exposure during cryopreservation on inner cell mass (ICM) count, trophectoderm (TE) cell count, total cell number (TCN), and the ratio between ICM to TCN. In conclusion, FAE on its own resulted in an improvement in the buck spermatozoa's quality and fertility. Therefore, the addition of FAE, as a natural antioxidant to buck semen extender, can increase spermatozoa cryotolerance and post-thaw resistance even when exposed to ECs.