Effect of zinc nano-complex on bull semen quality after freeze-thawing process

The effect of zinc Nano-particles (Zn- nano- complex) on bull sperm quality after freeze-thawing process studied. Ejaculates collected from four Holstein bulls twice a week. On the day of semen collection, four ejaculates were pooled and diluted with Bioxcell extender containing 0, 0.000001, 0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01 molar of zinc Nano-complex and frozen. After thawing, sperm motility and motion parameters, plasma membrane integrity, abnormal morphology, plasma membrane functionality and mitochondrial activity were determined. The proportion of the total and progressive motile sperm, the plasma membrane integrity and proportion of the spermatozoa with abnormal morphology was not different among groups. Zinc Nano-complex groups represented a higher plasma membrane functionality than that of control group. Moreover, our flowcytometric data suggested that spermatozoa in the groups of zinc Nano-complex possessed higher mitochondrial activity as compared with the control group. Mitochondrial activity in 0.01 was higher than the 0.000001 group. In conclusion, supplementation of zn Nano-complex, can improve the plasma membrane functionality and mitochondrial activity of bull spermatozoa in a dose dependent manner without any deleterious effect on motility parameters.