AUTHOR=Sun Xiaomei , Zhang Liuming , Kang Yan , Wang Xuyang , Jiang Caiyu , Wang Jian , Sohail Tariq , Li Yongjun TITLE=Alpha-lipoic acid improves the quality of ram spermatozoa stored at 4°C by reducing oxidative stress and increasing mitochondrial potential JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=10 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1345016 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2023.1345016 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=Introduction

Ram spermatozoa inevitably produce a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during liquid storage, leading to oxidative stress and a decline of spermatozoa quality. Therefore, it is particularly important to add exogenous antioxidants during the process of semen liquid preservation. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether adding alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) to ram semen can reduce oxidative stress and enhance spermatozoa quality during the liquid storage at 4°C.

Methods

Different concentrations of ALA (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 mM) were added to semen and stored at 4°C. During storage at 4°C, spermatozoa motility, kinetic parameters, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, energy metabolism parameters (mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)) and oxidative stress parameters [ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD)] were assessed.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that 0.1 mM ALA significantly (p<0.05) improved spermatozoa total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM), plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, ΔΨM, ATP, TAC, and SOD, while significantly (p<0.05) reducing spermatozoa ROS and MDA content compared to the control group. In conclusion, ALA can reduce damage caused by oxidative stress in spermatozoa and effectively improve the quality of semen preserved at 4°C. And the optimal concentration is 0.1 mM.