Turkey toms are what they eat: the impact of dietary lipid on sperm quality and function

Authors: Long, Julie

Submitted to: Poultry Science Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2017
Publication Date: 5/25/2017
Citation: Long, J.A. 2017. Turkey toms are what they eat: the impact of dietary lipid on sperm quality and function. Poultry Science Symposium Proceedings. p. 1-11.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: It is well known that cryopreserved semen could be used to regenerate commercial or research poultry lines; however, fertility rates from poultry semen frozen with current methods are not reliable enough for germ-line retrieval, especially from lines with low reproductive efficiency. To provide a short-term solution for preservation of semen from “at-risk” poultry lines, we are investigating an alternative strategy in the form of temporary dietary modification and/or in vitro manipulation of membrane cholesterol that also should be useful for the long-range goals of improving poultry sperm cryopreservation. Specifically, the goals are to: 1) alter the fat source in the diet to improve cryosurvival of turkey sperm by modifying the sperm membrane lipid composition; 2) change the cholesterol:phospholipid (C:P) ratio in the sperm membrane to improve sperm cryosurvival; and 3) determine if the combination of diet modification and in vitro manipulation of cholesterol content has a synergistic effect on sperm cryosuvival. To date, four specialized turkey lines developed and maintained by the Ohio State University's Agricultural Research and Development Center have been evaluated for the response to dietary lipid and in vitro cholesterol modifications. It was found that diets containing fish oil, soybean oil or a combination of these two oils changed the type of lipid in the sperm membrane and improved the fertility of frozen/thawed semen. Further, pre-incubating semen with 400 µg/mL cholesterol prior to cryopreservation improved the fertility of semen from the RBC1, E and RBC2 lines. Addition of cholesterol did not improve the fertility of frozen/thawed semen from the F line. Taken together, results to date suggest that lipid-enriched diets may provide an alternative strategy to meet the immediate needs of poultry cryoconservation.