Antioxidant Effects of Ocimum Gratissimum Leaf Essential Oils as a Supplement to Extender on Chilled Canine Sperm Quality

Abstract Background:Oxidative stress during chilled storage is a major problem withcanine sperm. To improve the quality of chilled canine sperm during storage, many synthetic antioxidants have been examined, but different outcomes were investigated depending on antioxidant properties. The bioactive compounds of essential oils fromOcimum gratissimumleaves are known as a natural antioxidant source. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant effects of essential oils from Ocimum gratissimumleavesas a supplement in extender on chilled canine sperm during 12 days of storage. Results:The results showed thatlow concentrations of Ocimum gratissimum essential oils (25, 50, and 100µg/mL) have beneficial effectson sperm quality, whereasOcimum gratissimumessential oils athigh levels (above 200µg/mL) have harmful effects. Specifically, the addition of 100µg/mL ofOcimum gratissimum essential oilsto the extender had the greatestbeneficial effect in improving the quality of chilled canine sperm, and had a significant difference in all sperm quality parameters except motility when compared to the control group (p<0.05). Conclusions:Ocimum gratissimum essential oilshave an impact on chilled canine sperm quality in a dose-dependent manner, and the best results areachieved with a maximum dose ofOcimum gratissimum essential oils of 100µg/mL.