title: Dietary supplementation with a source of omega-3 fatty acids increases sperm number and the duration of ejaculation in boars.
abstract: Development of nutritional strategies to increase the production of fertile sperm would further enhance the distribution of superior genetic material by AI. The objective was to determine the effects of a dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids in boars on semen characteristics and sexual behavior. Boars were fed daily 2.2 kg of a diet top-dressed with 0.3 kg of corn (controls; n=12) or 0.3 kg of a supplement containing 31% omega-3 fatty acids (n=12) for 16 weeks. Semen was collected weekly and for boars that received the supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids, total sperm per ejaculate averaged 84.3+/-2.3 x 10(9) (mean+/-S.E.M.) during Weeks 0-7, and increased (P=0.02) to 95.6+/-2.3 x 10(9) during Weeks 8-15. Control boars averaged 86.3+/-2.3 x 10(9) sperm per ejaculate during Weeks 0-7 and 86.4+/-2.3 x 10(9) during Weeks 8-15. Other semen characteristics were similar (P>0.1) between groups. Duration of ejaculation was affected by treatment (343.9s for controls and 388.8s for boars fed omega-3 fatty acids; S.E.M.=15.7; P=0.05). In summary, semen characteristics and sexual behavior were altered in boars fed a supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids. Boar semen is typically diluted to create AI doses containing 3 x 10(9) sperm each; therefore, use of the supplement increased the number of potential AI doses by approximately three per ejaculate after the initial 7 week supplementation period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. mestienn@vt.edu
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Estienne
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3