Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf extract supplementation on motility and viability of Boer crossbreed buck spermatozoa during cold storage.

Abstract

Background: Chilled semen preservation is essential for supporting artificial insemination programs in Boer goats, but spermatozoa rapidly deteriorate during cold storage due to cold shock and oxidative stress. Natural antioxidants such as Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE), which contains flavonoids, phenolics, and vitamin, may enhance extender performance for maintaining semen quality by reducing oxidative damage. However, Studies evaluating MLE supplementation in commercial extenders such as Andromed^® are still limited and have not been widely conducted, particularly for Boer goat semen stored at 5°C.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of MLE supplementation (2%, 4%, and 6%) in Andromed^® extender on the motility and viability of Boer goat sperm during 5 days of chilled storage.

Methods: Semen from six Boer goats was diluted with Andromed^® containing 0% (T0 as control), 2% (T1), 4% (T2), and 6% (T3) MLE and stored at 5°C for 5 days. Sperm motility and viability were assessed daily using eosin-nigrosin staining.

Results: Sperm motility and viability showed distinct responses among treatments during storage. The 4% (T2) MLE treatment consistently maintained the highest sperm motility and viability from Day 2 onward. On Day 5, T2 exhibited the greatest motility (40.00% ± 0.00%) and viability (51.00% ± 2.16%), significantly outperforming T0, T1, and T3. Increasing the MLE concentrations to 6% did not provide further improvement and resulted in lower values than T2, suggesting that excessive extract may exert negative effects.

Conclusion: In conclusion, supplementation of 4% MLEin Andromed^® extender effectively preserves sperm motility and viability in chilled Boer goat semen. MLE serves as a promising natural antioxidant additive for improving short-term semen preservation, particularly under tropical conditions.