Effect of adding different levels of Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) aqueous extract to Tris extender on the Motility, Viability and some characteristics of rams semen stored at 5 °C

Abstract

This study was conducted to show the effect of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Artichoke ( Cynara scolymus L.) on Tris extender and its effect on the semen traits of Awassi rams after preservation at a cooling of 5° C for different periods (0, 24, 48 and 72 hours). This study was conducted in the animal field and laboratories of the Department of Animal Production, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad in Jadiriyah, from November 15, 2021 to April 25, 2022. Three local Awassi rams were used in this experiment. Their ages ranged from 2.5-3.0 years. The semen was collected from them by artificial vagina by one ejaculation/ram/week for 8 weeks. The semen of rams has been mixed in order to eliminate individual differences. The following tests were conducted to evaluate the semen characteristics for each motility, the percentage of viability sperm, total abnormalities, the integrity of the plasma membrane, and the acrosome's integrity. The current study showed that adding an aqueous extract from the leaves of the artichoke plant (Cynara scolymus L.) improved most of the studied traits when stored in preservation. The results indicated a highly significant (P<0.01) for the treatments T1, T2 and T4, which amounted to (87.00 ± 1.86, 85.50 ± 2.02 and 86.87 ± 0.78%) compared to the control group (C), which amounted to (77.25 ± 2.11%), While the previous treatments did not differ significantly with treatment T3, which amounted to (81.87 ± 2.94%) in the percentage of live sperm during the 0 hour preservation period. At the same time, the results indicated no significant differences between treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 compared to the control treatment and for all periods (0, 24, 48 and 72 hours) in the individual motility of the sperm. As for measuring the biochemical traits of seminal plasma, The results of AST and ALT enzymes indicated that there was no significant increase between treatments during one period, while an arithmetic superiority occurred after 72 hours of preservation for treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 compared with the 0 hour preservation period. It is concluded from the current study that adding an aqueous extract of (Cynara Scolymus) artichoke leaves to Tris extender improved the semen quality of Awassi rams after preservation. Keywords: Ram; Semen; Antioxidants; Cooling; Artichoke; Cynara Scolymus.