Quality of Chilled Ram Semen in an AndroMed Diluent with the Addition of Melatonin as an Antioxidant

Abstract

Oxidative stress during semen processing may cause damage to ram spermatozoa cells, resulting in decreased motility and plasma membrane integrity. Melatonin is an effective antioxidant in neutralizing reactive oxygen species and stimulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes to protect spermatozoa cells. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of melatonin supplementation at multiple concentrations on the quality preservation of chilled ram semen in an AndroMed diluent when stored at 4°C. Semen is collected from a sexually mature ram using an artificial vagina, followed by a microscopic evaluation. Viable semen samples with motility of >70% are divided into 4 experimental groups: AndroMed (A) as a control, AndroMed with 0.5 mM melatonin (A + M0.5), AndroMed with 1 mM melatonin (A + M1), and AndroMed with 2 mM melatonin (A + M2). All semen samples were preserved at 4°C for 4 days (D0-D4) and are evaluated every 24 hours. The semen evaluation parameters observed are motility, viability, abnormality, and plasma membrane integrity. The results show no significant changes of semen quality on D) (P>0.05). In general, experimental groups supplemented with melatonin showed better results as compared to the control. The supplementation of melatonin is able to protect and maintain the quality of chilled ram semen. Based on this study, results show that A + M0.5 is the best melatonin concentration addition to the AndroMed diluent, as indicated by higher values of the evaluated parameters when compared to the other experimental groups.

Stres oksidatif selama pengolahan semen menyebabkan kerusakan membran plasma spermatozoa, mengakibatkan penurunan motilitas dan penurunan plasma membran utuh. Melatonin merupakan antioksidan yang efektif untuk menetralkan spesies oksigen reaktif dan merangsang aktivitas enzim antioksidan untuk melindungi sel spermatozoa. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengevaluasi pengaruh penambahan melatonin pada pengencer AndroMed terhadap kualitas semen cair domba yang disimpan pada suhu 4°C. Koleksi semen dilakukan dengan metode vagina buatan, kemudian semen dievaluasi secara mikroskopis. Semen dengan motilitas sebesar ≥70% diencerkan pada kelompok AndroMed (A), AndroMed dengan melatonin 0.5 mM (A + M0.5), AndroMed dengan melatonin 1 mM (A + M1), AndroMed dengan melatonin 2 mM (A + M2). Semen cair disimpan selama 5 hari (H0–H4) pada suhu 4 °C, kemudian dievaluasi kualitas semen setiap 24 jam. Parameter evaluasi semen berupa motilitas, viabilitas, abnormalitas, dan membran plasma utuh spermatozoa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kualitas semen cair tidak berbeda signifikan (P>0.05). Secara umum, penambahan melatonin memiliki hasil nilai yang lebih baik daripada kontrol. Penambahan melatonin mampu melindungi dan mempertahankan kualitas semen cair domba. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, kelompok pengencer A + M0.5 adalah perlakuan terbaik yang ditunjukkan dengan nilai dari parameter lebih tinggi daripada perlakuan lainnya.