Incorporating olive (Olea europaea L) fruit extracts in a tris-based extender improves buffalo semen cryotolerance by reducing oxidative stress.

This work aimed to evaluate whether supplementing the freezing extender with olive fruit extract (OFE) would improve the antioxidant defense of buffalo sperm, resulting in improved post-thaw semen quality. Ejaculates (two per 16 Murrah buffalo bulls) were split into four aliquots that were diluted in an extender supplemented with different doses of OFE (0, D50, D100, and D150, based on µM concentrations of hydroxytyrosol, the most represented polyphenol) and frozen according to standard procedures. At thawing, sperm motility, kinetics, viability, acrosome integrity, and membrane functionality were evaluated.

Incubating frozen-thawed buffalo sperm with olive fruit extracts counteracts thawing-induced oxidative stress and improves semen quality.

Freezing-thawing procedures and semen manipulation for in vitro fertilization induce oxidative stress, which in turn leads to impaired sperm quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether incubation of frozen-thawed buffalo semen with olive fruit extracts (OFE), known to contain a high concentration of phenolic antioxidants, would improve semen quality by reducing oxidative stress. Frozen sperm (4 ejaculates/4 bulls/3 replicates) were thawed and diluted to 30 × 10/mL in IVF medium with 0, 72, 143, and 214 μL/mL of OFE, corresponding to 0 (D0-control), 50 (D50), 100 (D100), and 150 (D150) μM hydroxytyrosol.

Seasonal Variations in the Lipid Profile of the Ovarian Follicle in Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes.

The reduced oocyte competence recorded during the non-breading season (NBS) is one of the key factors affecting the profitability of buffalo farming and limits the IVEP efficiency. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate whether season influences the lipid content within the ovarian follicle in the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. Abattoir-derived ovaries were collected during the breeding season (BS) and the NBS, and different matrices (follicular fluid, oocytes, cumulus and follicular cells) were recovered.