FERTILIZING ABILITY OF BOAR SEMEN EXTENDED WITH GARLIC (Allium sativum L.) EXTRACTS

Abstract

Preservation of boar semen is associated with the production of reactive oxygen species which leads to a reduction of spermatozoa quality and decrease in fertilizing ability. The outcome of Artificial Insemination (AI) largely depends on the ability of the acrosome to penetrate the zona pellucida, for the deposition of DNA materials into the oocyte, for a successful fertilization and embryonic development. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of Ethanolic Allium sativum Extracts (EASE) on acrosome integrity and pH of extended boar semen. Semen was collected using the gloved hand technique. Aliquot portions of semen were divided into sixty sample bottles comprising of five treatments with three replicates. T1 served as the control (Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS) + semen) in ratio 1:3 semen-extender, while other treatments T2 to T5 contained semen-extender at the same ratio, but supplemented with EASE at varying concentrations of 50, 75, 100 and 125 µg/L respectively in a completely randomized design. Extended semen samples were stored at 17 °C . Data obtained were subjected to assess relationship between acrosome integrity and pH and one way ANOVA to evaluate extract effects. Results suggest a strong and negative relationship between pH and acrosome integrity. Also, supplementation of BTS with EASE at 125 µg/L maintained the acrosome integrity of the spermatozoa compared to control.