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 (AI) programs in Boer goats, but spermatozoa rapidly deteriorate during cold storage due to cold shock and oxidative stress. Natural antioxidant 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 beend widely conducted, particularly for Boer goat semen stored at 5 °C.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of Moringa oleifera leaf extract supplementation (2%, 4%, and 6%) in Andromed® extender on the motility and viability of Boer goat sperm during five 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 shoved 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% Moringa oleifera leaf extract in 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, particulary under tropical conditions. Key words: Antioxidant supplementation; Boer buck; Chilled semen; Moringa oleifera leaf extract; Semen extender.