Quercetin improves the apoptotic index and oxidative stress in post-thaw dog sperm

Freeze storage of ejaculated sperms is a crucial technique for the semen preservation of valuable pet animals such as dogs. The current study was conducted to investigate if quercetin (QRN) may ameliorate apoptosis and oxidative stress in post-thaw dog sperm. Herein, we evaluated the post-thaw apoptosis and oxidative stress after treatment with QRN (control, 25, 50, and 100 mu M) in the freezing of dog semen. Reactive oxygen species levels were significantly affected (p < 0.05) between the various concentrations of QRN and the control (17.56 +/- 1.02, 7.54 +/- 0.48, 5.66 +/- 0.80, and 10.41 +/- 0.69), respectively. The apoptosis index was 9.1 +/- 1.34, 6.66 +/- 0.58, 6.77 +/- 0.66, and 5.38 +/- 0.86 in the control, and 25, 50, and 100 mu M QRN treatment groups, respectively (p < 0.05). The effects of ameliorated cryo-induced damage by QRN on post-thaw sperm quality were also observed through improved structural and functional tests. Sperm treated with 50 mu M QRN showed significantly higher motility (51.8 +/- 2.1% vs. 43.1 +/- 1.4%, P < 0.05), survival rates (46.9 +/- 0.7% vs. 43.9 +/- 0.4%, P < 0.05), and mucus penetration than control group, respectively. Results also indicated that higher concentrations of QRN (100 mu M) were not effective on sperm quality and parameters when compared with the medium levels (50 mu M). In conclusion, supplementation of freezing buffer with 50 mu M QRN reduced oxidative damage and improved the quality of post-thaw dog sperm.

Automated summary

The study found that the addition of 50 μM QRN can reduce oxidative damage to ejaculated sperm in dogs and improve their quality.