Effects of different levels of methanolic bee pollen extract on ram sperm quality during short-term and long-term storage

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Animal Science and Fisheries, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University

2 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

10.22059/ijas.2025.394211.654072

Abstract

The effect of adding methanolic bee pollen extract to a Tris-egg yolk-based extender on the quality of ram sperm during short-term storage and post-thaw conditions was investigated. The semen samples were diluted with a Tris-egg yolk extender containing different concentrations of methanolic bee pollen extract (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/mL). Additionally, 0.1 mM vitamin E was included as a positive control group, and 5 µL dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as the extract solvent. The treated samples were kept at 4°C for 5, 24, 48, and 72 hours for short-term storage. Cryopreservation assessments were conducted 14 days after storage in liquid nitrogen. The data were analyzed using a completely randomized design and the GLM procedure. The results showed that supplementation with 5, 10, and 15 mg/mL methanolic bee pollen extract significantly improved motility, viability, membrane integrity, morphological abnormalities, mitochondrial activity, and reduced lipid peroxidation in both short-term storage and post-thaw conditions compared to the control group (p<0.05). The 5 mg/mL treatment showed the most improvement in evaluated parameters during short-term storage, while the 15 mg/mL treatment exhibited the best effects after thawing (p<0.05). Furthermore, the 5 mg/mL concentration effectively mitigated oxidative stress by significantly reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (p<0.05). Given the comparable efficacy of the lower concentration and to prevent potential adverse effects of higher concentrations, the use of 5 mg/mL methanolic bee pollen extract is recommended.

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Iranian Journal of animal Science

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 September 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 26 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 10 September 2025

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