Year: 2026 | Month: June | Volume 16 | Issue 3
Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Remodels the Seminal Biochemical Microenvironment and Sperm Metabolic Profile in Marwari Stallions
Palak Gupta1*
Rakesh Kumar Dhuria1
Ram Avtar Legha2
Thirumala Rao Talluri3 and Ramesh Kumar Dedar4
DOI:10.30954/2277-940X.03.2026.7
Abstract:
Nutritional modulation of reproductive metabolism through omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has emerged as a promising strategy to improve male fertility; however, information on its effects on seminal plasma and sperm biochemistry in indigenous equine breeds remains limited. The present study evaluated the effect of dietary linseed oil, a rich source of α-linolenic acid (ALA), on the biochemical profile of seminal plasma and spermatozoa in Marwari stallions. Eight clinically healthy stallions were randomly allocated to either a control diet (T1) or an isonitrogenous diet supplemented with 8% linseed oil (T2) for 60 days. Seminal plasma and spermatozoa were separated following semen collection, and biochemical constituents, including metabolites, lipids, proteins, minerals and metabolic enzymes, were analysed using standardized commercial assay kits. Dietary linseed oil supplementation induced selective biochemical alterations without disturbing overall reproductive biochemical homeostasis. In seminal plasma, total lipid (364.14 ± 20.74 vs. 274.70 ± 29.27 mg/dL; P=0.05) and calcium (18.42 ± 1.33 vs. 7.29 ± 3.08 mg/dL; P = 0.02) concentrations increased significantly in supplemented stallions. In spermatozoa, cholesterol (142.16 ± 8.71 vs. 116.56 ± 4.36 mg/dL; P = 0.04) and lactate (64.29 ± 3.81 vs. 31.18 ± 3.98 mg/dL; P = 0.001) concentrations were significantly higher, while glucose showed an increasing trend (P=0.05). Other biochemical constituents, including triglycerides, phospholipids, proteins, urea, magnesium, LDH, SGOT and SGPT, remained unaffected. These findings demonstrate that dietary linseed oil selectively modulates lipid metabolism, calcium homeostasis and sperm energy metabolism while preserving overall biochemical stability, suggesting that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may improve the reproductive metabolic microenvironment and provide a biochemical basis for enhancing stallion reproductive function.
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