Seminal plasma MDA concentrations correlating negatively with semen quality in Asian elephants

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether lipid peroxidation is correlated with semen quality in Asian elephant bulls. Malondialdehyde (MDA) in seminal plasma from ejaculates with varying percentages of progressive motility was measured using Thiobarbituric Acid method. Correlation between the MDA levels and percentages of progressive motility and normal morphology were performed. Results revealed that the MDA levels were significantly negative, which correlated (p < 0.05) with the percentages of progressive motility and normal morphology (R=0.2131 and 0.1685, respectively). The results also showed that the MDA levels were significantly difference between each bull (p < 0.01). Furthermore, when the ejaculates were grouped according to motility scores into two groups; low- ( < 40%) and high-percentage of progressive motility ( > 40%), a significant difference was detected between the MDA means (±SD) of the low- (20.7±11.4 nmol/ml) and high-percentages of progressive motility (14.4±7.8 nmol/ml) groups. The results obtained from this study suggested that MDA could be a potential parameter applicable for the assessment of elephant semen quality. It could as well be deduced from this study that oxidative stress might play a key role in low fertility due to poor semen quality in captive male elephants. This data provides beneficial information to better understanding of elephant reproduction in captivity.