Effects of supplementing Perilla frutescens leaf essential oil into semen extender on the chicken sperm quality in cold storage

Abstract

Oxidative stress is a significant challenge during the period of chicken sperm cold storage. Study on supplementing Perilla frutescens leaf essential oil into semen extender was conducted aimed at maintaining and stabilizing chicken sperm quality during the period of cold storage. Sperm quality was evaluated through various parameters, such as: sperm motility, survival rate, membrane integrity and resistance to lipid peroxidation during cold storage. The studied
results indicated that the quality of chicken sperm was improved when adding Perilla frutescens essential oil into semen extender at concentrations ranging from low to 1.5 µg/ml, and sperm quality gradually decreased when Perilla frutescens essential oil was added into semen extender with concentration higher than 1.5 µg/ml. Particularly, supplementing Perilla frutescens essential oil with concentration of 1.5 µg/ml into semen extender has given the highest sperm quality in
terms of forward motility, viability, membrane integrity, and resistance to lipid peroxidation over
21-days of cold storage in comparison with the control (P<0.05). In conclusion, the influence
of Perilla frutescens essential oil on the quality of chicken sperm in cold storage depends on
the essential oil concentration, and the optimal concentration adding into semen extender
throughout the chicken sperm cold storage period was 1.5 µg/ml