M Hakim Abed Bresm - Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, Iraq
H Mohammed Hassan Habeeb - Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, Iraq

To sustain the viability of the sperm of farm animals, the sperm is chilled. However, reactive oxygen species (ROS) may damage it, resulting in oxidative stress and decreased sperm viability. This study aimed to assess the various concentrations of vitamin D۳ as antioxidants in the chilled sperm of Awassi. This study was performed on ۲۳ ejaculates from three Awassi rams. The samples were combined, diluted with Tris-egg yolk extender (۱:۱۰), and then divided into aliquots. Aliquots were treated with three vitamin D۳ concentrations (T۱=۰.۰۲, T۲=۰.۰۰۴, and T۳=۰.۰۰۲ g/ml) and one control without the addition of vitamin D۳. The experimental and control groups were chilled to reach ۵ ºC. Following treatment, the samples were centrifuged at ۲,۰۰۰ RPM for ۲۰ min at ۰ and ۷۲ h after the treatment. Until evaluation, the seminal plasm was stored in a freezer at ۲۰ ºC. In this study, the antioxidant activity of vitamin D۳ was evaluated using malondialdehyde (MDA), ROS, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT). The SAS software was used to analyze variance on repeated measures with a single factor. The results indicated that the TAC and SOD were considerably higher in T۱, compared to that in T۰, T۱, and T۲. In addition, CAT was considerably higher in T۲ than in T۰, T۱, and T۳. However, ROS and MDA did not differ significantly among the experimental groups. Despite the absence of a statistically significant difference among experimental groups, MDA decreased quantitatively on T۱, relative to other experimental groups. In conclusion, a deficiency in vitamin D۳ has a potential antioxidant capability, introducing a novel method for extending sperm storage.

chilled semen, Awassi ram, Vitamin D۳, Antioxidant