The effect of Curcumin on plasma lipid profile and some sperm quality traits in broiler breeder roosters

This study was aimed to determine the effect of dietary Curcumin supplementation on the plasma lipid profile and some sperm quality parameters in broiler breeder roosters. In a completely randomized design, a total of twenty-eight 51-weeks-old Ross-308 roosters were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups (n=7) and individually caged for 9 successive weeks. Treatments were different levels of Curcumin that were added to a basal diet including: T1, control (no Curcumin supplement), T2, 0.006%; T3, 0.012%, and T4, 0.018% of the diet. To determine plasma lipid profile, blood samples were collected from five birds/treatment at the end of the trial. Also, semen samples were weekly collected from each bird during the experiment, and sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity were evaluated. The results showed that concentrations of the plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL were decreased, and concentrations of HDL were increased in T3 and T4 groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in plasma lipid profile and plasma concentration of glucose between T1 and the control group (P<0.05). Sperm plasma membrane integrity and motility were linearly improved in treated groups compared to the control (P<0.05). The highest decrease in plasma lipid profile and most improvements in sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity was observed in T4 groups compared with other groups. In conclusion, considering all the measured parameters, dietary supplementation of 0.018% Curcumin had the best response on modifying plasma lipid profiles and improving sperm quality characteristics compared with other treatments.