Abstract:
In order to explore the effect of different types of plant-derived antioxidants on the preservation of Taihu boar semen at room temperature, this experiment selected two commonly used antioxidants, curcumin and β-carotene. They were added at different concentrations(curcumin: 0, 3, 6, 9µg·mL
−1; β-carotene: 0, 10, 20, 40µg·mL
−1)to the diluted Taihu boar semen. Visual inspection, hypo-osmotic swelling test, and Wright-Giemsa staining method were employed to assess sperm vitality, plasma membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 of preservation at 17°C. The results showed that the addition of certain concentrations of curcumin and β-carotene significantly improved sperm quality, with the optimal concentrations being 6 µg·mL
−1 for curcumin and 20 µg·mL
−1 for β-carotene.