Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as an Alternative to Antibiotics Additive on Extended Boar Semen

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 8; p. 1568
• Main Authors: Tsakmakidis, Ioannis A., Samaras, Theodoros, Anastasiadou, Sofia, Basioura, Athina, Ntemka, Aikaterini, Michos, Ilias, Simeonidis, Konstantinos, Karagiannis, Isidoros, Tsousis, Georgios, Angelakeris, Mavroeidis, Boscos, Constantin M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 10.08.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; bacterial resistance; boar; Hogs; Investigations; Iron oxides; Laboratory animals; Linearity; Magnetic fields; microbiological analyses; Microorganisms; Morphology; Motility; Nanoparticles; Parameters; Semen; Sperm; Storage temperature; Thawing; United States > US; Germany
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano10081568

This study examined the effect of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on boar semen. Beltsville thawing solution without antibiotics was used to extend ejaculates from 5 boars (4 ejaculates/boar). Semen samples of control group (C) and group with Fe3O4 (Fe; 0.192 mg/mL semen) were incubated under routine boar semen storage temperature (17 °C) for 0.5 h and nanoparticles were removed by a magnetic field. Before and after treatment, aliquots of all groups were cultured using standard microbiological methods. The samples after treatment were stored (17 °C) for 48 h and sperm parameters (computer-assisted sperm analyzer (CASA) variables; morphology; viability; hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST); DNA integrity) were evaluated at storage times 0, 24, 48 h. Semen data were analyzed by a repeated measures mixed model and microbial data with Student’s t-test for paired samples. Regarding CASA parameters, Fe group did not differ from C at any time point. In group C, total motility after 24 h and progressive motility after 48 h of storage decreased significantly compared to 0 h. In group Fe, linearity (LIN) after 48 h and head abnormalities after 24 h of storage increased significantly compared to 0 h. The microbiological results revealed a significant reduction of the bacterial load in group Fe compared to control at both 24 and 48 h. In conclusion, the use of Fe3O4 nanoparticles during semen processing provided a slight anti-microbiological effect with no adverse effects on sperm characteristics.