effect of purslane (portulaca oleracea l.) extract in the extender on cryopreserved ram sperm quality

The use of an appropriate extender is crucial in mitigating the risks of freezing and thawing damage to sperm. therefore, this study investigated the effect of purslane extract in a freezing extender on qualitative parameters of ram sperm. semen samples were collected from five rams using an artificial vagina. the mixed semen sample was divided into five aliquots and diluted in extenders (1:20 ratio) containing different concentrations of purslane extract (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 μg/ml). sperm velocity, membrane integrity and activity, morphology, lipid peroxidation rate, and sperm dna fragmentation were assessed before and after cryopreservation. before freezing, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in motility, viability, functionality, and morphology of sperm between treatments. however, the freezing-thawing process significantly decreased sperm motility parameters in all treatments. this detrimental impact of freezing was most pronounced (p≤0.05) in the treatment containing 200 μg/ml purslane extract, with total motility reduced to 18.12%. however, the viability, functionality, and morphology of sperm after the freezing-thawing process were not affected by treatments. the treatment without a supplement of purslane extract had the highest amount of mda (110.37 nmol/ml) and the lowest percentage of sperm with healthy dna (28.50%). this research indicated that including purslane extract in the freezing diluent for ram sperm enhanced both dna integrity and sperm motility after cryopreservation.