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. 2025 Jun 9;21(1):407.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04852-3.

In vitro assessment of lavender ethanolic extract supplemented semen extender on cryopreserved ram epididymal sperm quality and fertility outcome

Ramin Farhadi  1 , Amir Hossein Mohammadi Ghanatghestani  2 , Roughayeh Abbasi  3 , Dina Farshidfar  2 , Abouzar Najafi  4
Affiliations

In vitro assessment of lavender ethanolic extract supplemented semen extender on cryopreserved ram epididymal sperm quality and fertility outcome

Ramin Farhadi et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective role of different concentrations of lavender ethanolic extract (0, 75, 150, and 300 μg/dL) on the microscopic, oxidative stress, structural, and fertility parameters of ram epididymal sperm after the freezing/thawing process. Post-thaw evaluations included motility parameters, membrane integrity, acrosome membrane integrity, abnormality, MDA concentration, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activities, viability, apoptosis stages, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, ROS levels, and fertility parameters (pregnancy rate, birth rate, and lambing rate). The results indicated that the extender containing 150 µg/dL lavender extract improved motility parameters, including progressive motility and VCL compared to the control extender. In the evaluation of structural and biochemical parameters, the addition of 150 µg/dL lavender extract significantly enhanced plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, as well as superoxide dismutase activity, while reducing sperm abnormalities and MDA concentration compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in glutathione peroxidase activity between different extract concentrations. Furthermore, the presence of 150 µg/dL lavender extract increased mitochondrial membrane potential and sperm viability, while significantly decreasing H2O2 free radical levels and DNA fragmentation, compared to the control group. In terms of fertility parameters, the use of an extender containing 150 µg/dL extract significantly increased pregnancy, birth, and lambing rates, although no significant difference was observed in the twinning rate between groups. In conclusion, adding 150 µg/dL lavender extract can improve the quality and fertility of ram semen after freezing/thawing, and its use is recommended.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Extract; Lavender; Oxidative stress; Sperm.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All animal care procedures were conducted in compliance with ARRIVE guidelines and the University of Tehran guidelines for Animal Experiments. The animal study was authorized by the Animal Research Committee of the University of Tehran. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
LC–MS/MS chromatogram with percentage composition
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The effect of different concentrations of lavender extract on TM: total motility (a), PM: progressive motility (b), VAP: average path velocity (c) and VSL: straight − line velocity (d) of ram sperm after freezing/thawing
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The effect of different concentrations of lavender extract on STR: straightness (a), LIN: linearity (b), VCL: Curvilinear velocity (c) and ALH: amplitude of the lateral head displacement (d) of ram sperm after freezing/thawing
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The effect of different concentrations of lavender extract on Membrane integrity (a), total abnormality (b), mitochondrial activity (c) and Acrosome integrity of ram sperm after freezing/thawing
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The effect of different concentrations of lavender extract on Viable (a), Early apoptotic (b), Late apoptotic (c) and Necrosis (d) of ram sperm after freezing/thawing
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The effect of different concentrations of lavender extract on MDA (a), H2O2 (b) SOD (c) and GPx (d) of ram sperm after freezing/thawing
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Effects of adding different concentrations of lavender extract on pregnancy rate, birth rate, and lambing rate
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Effects of adding different concentrations of lavender extract on DNA Fragmentation (a) and copy number of the CYTb gene (b)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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