Effects of supplementing Ocimum basilicum leaf essential oil into semen extender on the chicken sperm quality in cryopreservation

Abstract

Oxidative stress commonly occurs and detrimentally affects to the quality of chicken sperm during cryopreservation. This study was conducted to assess the impact of adding Ocimum basilicum leaf essential oil into the semen extender on the chicken sperm quality in cryopreservation. The parameters, such as: motility, viability, membrane integrity, and lipid peroxidation of sperm were employed to evaluate sperm quality. The experimental results revealed that supplementing Ocimum basilicum leaf essential oil into extenders at concentrations below 15µg/ml was effective in sperm quality protection, whereas adding Ocimum basilicum leaf essential oil at higher concentrations caused detrimental effect on sperm quality during cryopreservation. Particularly, at a concentration of 15µg/ml, the sperm quality was the best, and this result was statistically significant compared to the control (P<0.05). In summary, the
influence of Ocimum basilicum leaf oil on the chicken sperm quality in cryopreservation depends on the Ocimum basilicum leaf oil concentration, and the optimal concentration is 15µg/ml.