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Semen quality improvement in boars fed with supplemental wolfberry ( Lycium barbarum )
Author(s) -
Yang Qiang,
Xing Yuyun,
Qiao Chuanmin,
Liu Weiwei,
Jiang Haoyun,
Fu Qiang,
Zhou Yu,
Yang Bin,
Zhang Zhiyan,
Chen Rongrong
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
animal science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.606
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1740-0929
pISSN - 1344-3941
DOI - 10.1111/asj.13295
Subject(s) - semen , sperm , lycium , semen quality , zoology , sperm quality , biology , sperm motility , andrology , chemistry , botany , anatomy , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Wolfberry is well known for its health benefits in Asian countries. This study consisted of two experiments. In Experiment 1, nine boars were provided 40 g dried wolfberry per 100 kg body weight per day in addition to regular feed for 160 days (divided into 40 days phases: I, II, III, and IV) under step‐down air temperature conditions. Controls ( n = 9) were fed regular feed only. Significant ( p < .05 or p < .01) or slight improvements in sperm progressive motility, total abnormality rate, sperm concentration, and total sperm per ejaculate were observed in the wolfberry group during phases II and III. No differences were observed in semen volume. After combining the data from phases II ~ IV, significant improvements were detected in all aforementioned traits ( p < .05 or p < .01), except semen volume. In Experiment 2, the wolfberry group ( n = 5) was fed wolfberry for 90 days and exhibited significantly reduced head, tail, and total abnormality rates ( p < .05 or p < .01) in both fresh semen and semen stored for 72 hr at 17°C compared to the control group ( n = 5). SOD activity also significantly increased in this group of boars. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that wolfberry has a positive effect on boar semen quality.