Dietary α-linolenic acid from flaxseed oil or eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids from fish oil differentially alter fatty acid composition and characteristics of fresh and frozen-thawed bull semen (original) (raw)

Incorporation rates of dietary omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs) from different sources into bull plasma and sperm and the effects on physiological characteristics of fresh and frozen-thawed semen were determined. Fifteen fertile bulls were assigned to three treatment groups and supplemented for 13 weeks with encapsulated fat: (1) SFA-360 g/d per bull saturated FA; (2) FLX-450 g/d per bull providing 84.2 g/d C18:3n-3 (α-linolenic acid) from flaxseed oil; and (3) FO-450 g/d per bull providing 8.7 g/d C20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 6.5 g/d C22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) from fish oil. Blood samples were taken every 2 weeks and semen was collected weekly. With respect to the FA supplements, the proportion of α-linolenic acid in plasma increased in the FLX bulls, whereas that of DHA was increased in the FO bulls, within 2 weeks. However, changes in the sperm FA fraction were first expressed in the sixth week of supplementation: in the FO and FLX bulls the DHA proportion increa...