P-149: Antioxidant Effects of Dietary Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) Extract on The Rooster Semen Performance and Sperm Quality

Background: Exposure of sperm membranes to Reactive Oxygen Species induces lipid peroxidation causing membrane breakdown and loss of function. A rosemary extract as dietary additive was assayed for antioxidant effectiveness to improve the quality of rooster semen. Although rosemary extract has been evaluated for in vitro study of semen preservation, up to date no study has been conducted to examine this vegetable substance in rooster ration during spermatogenesis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of dietary rosemary extract on rooster semen quality. Materials and Methods: Sixteen roosters were divided into equal four groups consuming diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100 or 200 mg of rosemary extract/kg of feed. Semen parameters including motility, progressive motility, membrane integrity and lipid peroxidation were assessed at the 0, 14, 28, 42 and 56 days of experiments. Results: Results show that inclusion of 100 and 200 ppm of Rosemary extract significantly improved the total motility and membrane integrity of sperm at the end of experiment compared to other treatment. However, concentration, progressive motility and lipid peroxidation of sperm were not affected by the dietary rosemary extract Conclusion: It seems that rosemary extract with antioxidant properties seems to be suitable additive for improving the sperm preservation during spermatogenesis.