Does supplementation with white copaiba essential oil improve seminal quality in rabbits?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2025v46n1p199Keywords:
Acrosomal integrity, Mitochondrial activity, Sperm motility.Abstract
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of oral supplementation with antioxidant β-caryophyllenerich white copaiba essential oil (EO) on seminal quality in rabbits. Eight adult rabbits were randomly assigned to two treatments (T), and the ejaculate was used as an experimental unit: T1 (control, n = 20), no supplementation with white copaiba EO; and T2 (n = 20), supplementation with white copaiba EO. White copaiba EO was diluted in fractionated coconut oil at a concentration of 1%, and oral supplementation (0.002 mL of pure essential oil/day) took place for 95 days. Five seminal samples were collected from each sire. Seminal physical and morphological parameters, functional and physical integrity of the plasma membrane, acrosomal membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, and sperm chromatin integrity were assessed. The normality of the data was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the normally distributed data were analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test; the MannWhitney test was used for analysis of non-normally distributed variables. For all analyses, a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were observed for sperm vigor (T1, 4 ± 1.5; T2, 23 ± 1.7), sperm concentration (T1, 272.5×106 ± 76.1×106; T2, 168.2×106 ± 85.5×106 sperms/mL), and percentage of major defects (T1, 6.1 ± 3.1%; T2, 12.7 ± 8.5%). No differences were found regarding sperm motility (T1, 85 ± 5%; T2, 80 ± 15%), percentage of minor defects (T1, 55.8 ± 22.8%; T2, 63.3 ± 11.4%), and percentage of total defects (T1, 62 ± 21.7%; T2, 76.1 ± 10.4%). No differences were observed for structural (T1, 88.7 ± 6.5%; T2, 82.1 ± 14.8%) and functional integrity of the plasma membrane (T1, 32.8 ± 29.4%; T2, 47.3 ± 25.7%), acrosomal membrane integrity (T1, 84.7 ± 5%; T2, 86.4 ± 4.1%), mitochondrial activity (T1, 97.5 ± 6.5%; T2, 94.8 ± 4.7%), and chromatin integrity (T1, 97.8 ± 2.6%; T2, 98.4 ± 3.4%). Overall, oral supplementation with white copaiba EO at a concentration of 1% did not improve seminal physical and functional parameters in rabbits, with a negative impact on important parameters, such as sperm vigor, sperm concentration, and major sperm defects.
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