Effect of oral fish oil supplementation on fresh and frozen ram semen quality and subsequent fertilization rates in mature ewes
Abstract: Twenty healthy crossbred rams (1/2 Finnish Landrace x 1/2 Rahmani) were used to study if fish oil supplementation would improve fresh and frozen semen characteristics and fertility. Animals were divided into four similar groups of 5 rams each and were fed on the same diet for a preliminary period of two weeks. Treatment groups 1,2 and 3 received a daily oral dose of 0.5. 1.0 and 1.5 ml of fish oil contained a minimum of 50% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) respectively . for 12 weeks , however groups 4 served as control. Thereafter, all rams were fed only their basic requirement for subsequent three weeks.
The results showed that the ejaculate volume, sperm cell concentration, sperm motility and live sperm percentage were increased (P<0.05) and the percentage of sperm abnormalities was reduced (P<0.05) in the semen collected from fish oil treated groups compared to that of control group during treatment period. Seminal plasma total protein, total cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase during treatment tend to be numerically higher than those of control group and pre-treatment period, however, total lipid decreased during treatment and post-treatment compared to that of control diet rams but the differences among groups were not significant.
Progressive motility of frozen-thawed semen of rams treated with mid (Gl) and high dose (G3) of fish oil was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of control and low dose groups. Conception rate for sixty ewes cervically inseminated at natural estrus with frozenthawed semen of fish oil treated rams was higher (G1; 46.7; G2; 53.3 and G3; 53.3%; P<0.05) than that of control group (G4, 33.3%). It was concluded that the addition of 1.0 or 1.5 ml fish oil daily to the basic diet of ram improved sperm production and quality of fresh and frozen ram semen and enhanced ram fertility.
Keywords: Ram semen; Semen quality; Cryopreservation; Fertility; Docosahexaenoic acid.
Publication year 2009
Pages 810-822
Availability location معهد بحوث الانتاج الحيوانى- شارع نادى الصيد- الدقى - الجيزة
Availability number
Organization Name
City كفر الشيخ
serial title Journal Agricultural Research Kafer El-Sheikh University
Author(s) from ARC
External authors (outside ARC)
    ابراهيم محمود عبد الرازق جامعة كفر الشيخ
    ابراهيم سعد الشماع جامعة كفر الشيخ
Agris Categories Animal physiology - Reproduction
AGROVOC
TERMS		 Biological preservation. Docosahexaenoic acid. Fish oils. Freezing. Rams. Semen.
Proposed Agrovoc Semen quality;
Publication Type Journal
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