Evaluation of the <i>in vitro</i> cryopreservative performance of Juniper berry oil (<i>Juniperus communis</i>) on frozen-thawed bull semen

Güngör, Şükrü; Yeni, Deniz; İnanç, Muhammed Enes; Türkmen, Ruhi; Tuncer, Pürhan Barbaros; Gülhan, Mehmet Fuat; Avdatek, Fatih; Taşdemir, Umut

doi:10.2754/avb202392040335

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2023, Vol. 92 > Issue 4 > Evaluation of the in vitro…

Acta Vet. Brno 2023, 92: 335-342

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202392040335

Evaluation of the in vitro cryopreservative performance of Juniper berry oil (Juniperus communis) on frozen-thawed bull semen

Şükrü Güngör¹, Deniz Yeni², Muhammed Enes İnanç¹, Ruhi Türkmen³, Pürhan Barbaros Tuncer⁴, Mehmet Fuat Gülhan⁵, Fatih Avdatek², Umut Taşdemir⁶

¹Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Burdur, Türkiye
²Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye
³Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye
⁴Mersin University, Technical Sciences Vocational School, Department of Veterinary Health, Mersin, Türkiye
⁵Aksaray University, Technical Sciences Vocational School, Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Aksaray, Türkiye
⁶Aksaray University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Aksaray, Türkiye

Received March 10, 2023
Accepted October 25, 2023

This study aimed to reveal the effects of juniper (Juniperus communis) berry oil (JB) when added to the Tris extender, on bull (Holstein) sperm motility characteristics, abnormal sperm ratio, DNA fragmentation and some oxidative stress markers. The pooled ejaculate was divided into five equal parts as control (C) and Tris diluent containing 25, 50, 100, 200 μg/ml JB. Diluted semen was incubated at 4 °C for 4 h and then frozen in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C). After freezing-thawing, motility characteristics were determined using a sperm analyzer system. The results showed that the 25 μg/ml dose of JB had an improving effect on overall sperm motility (P < 0.05). The total abnormal spermatozoa ratio was not significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05). The JB25 and JB50 groups had higher DNA integrity than the other groups (P < 0.05). This finding was supported by low malondialdehyde levels (P < 0.05). Especially the 25 μg/ml dose of JB was found to have a remedial effect on DNA integrity, as well as increasing progressive and total motility rates. This study has revealed new information on the effects of JB on bull semen cryopreservation. Juniper berry oil may be used as an antioxidant in bull semen freezing.