The effect of soy lecithin nano particles in extender on durability of ram sperm in cool conditions

Since preserve ram sperm in cold condition has not sufficient efficiency, the objective of the present study was to assess the effect of different levels (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3%) of soy lecithin nano particles and egg yolk in extender on ram sperm quality during storage cool conditions. Semen samples were collected from three Lori Bakhtiari rams using artificial vagina. Afterward, ejaculates were pooled and then divided into seven aliquots. Aliquots were diluted with extenders and stored at 5°C for 72 hours. Total and progressive motility, sperm viability, plasma membrane functionality (HOS), morphology and DNA fragmentation were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours after starting the experiment. The results showed that the extender containing 1.5% nano-lecithin had the highest percentage of total and progressive motility of sperm after 72 hours of storage at cold conditions. The extender containing 3% nano-lecithin had the lowest viable sperm compared to other treatments (p ≤ 0.05). There was no significant difference between all of the extenders for plasma membrane functionality and morphology parameters. DNA fragmentation rate was bigger in treatments containing 0.5 and 3% lecithin nano particles than other treatments. In general, it seems that extender containing 1.5% nano-lecithin can be an appropriate substitute for semen extenders containing egg yolk to store ram sperm in cool conditions.