Antioxidative capacity of vitamin E, vitamin C and their combination in cryopreserved Bhadavari bull semen

Aim: The aim was to determine the antioxidative capacity of vitamin E, vitamin C and their combination (vitamin E+C) on standard semen parameters i.e., mortality, percent live sperms, percent abnormal sperms and acrosomal integrity in cryopreserved Bhadawari bull semen. Materials and Methods: Ejaculates collected from four Bhadawari bulls were evaluated and later pooled at 37°C. Pooled semen sample was divided into four equal parts viz. T-1,T-2,T-3 and C. The divided samples were diluted with a Trisbased extender containing the antioxidants vitamin E (5 mM) (T-1) vitamin C (5 mM) (T-2), vitamin E+C combination (5 mM+5 mM) (T-3) and extender containing no antioxidants (control, C). The diluted samples with different antioxidant concentration were cooled to 5°C, frozen in 0.25-ml French straws and stored in liquid nitrogen (−196°C). Frozen straws were thawed individually at 37°C for 20 s in a water bath for evaluation. Results: Semen extender supplementation with vitamin E (5 mM), vitamin C (5 mM) and vitamin E+C combination caused significant (p<0.01) increases in the seminal attributes while significant (p