Impact of Curcumin on Frozen Bovine Sperm Quality and In Vitro Bovine Oocyte Maturation

This study aimed to analyze the effect of curcumin on the antioxidant properties and fertility of freeze-thawed bovine spermatozoa and bovine oocytes. In this study, curcumin concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 25, and 50 µM were added bovine sperm cryopreservation solution and oocyte IVM medium to assess sperm quality, antioxidant properties, oocyte maturation, IVF rate, and embryonic development. The results demonstrated that adding curcumin to the cryopreservation solution significantly improved the viability, motility, and acrosome integrity of bull sperm after freezing and thawing (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The addition of 25 µM curcumin resulted in the best sperm quality. Analysis of antioxidant capacity showed that 25 µM curcumin significantly increased the activities of MMP and antioxidant enzymes, such as CAT, SOD, and GSH-PX, and lowered the levels of MDA and ROS (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Adding curcumin to the in vitro maturation medium notably enhanced the maturation rate and decreased DNA fragmented nuclei of bovine oocytes (<i>p</i> < 0.05), with optimal outcomes observed at 25 and 50 µM curcumin. Totals of 25 and 50 µM curcumin markedly elevated GSH and MMP (<i>p</i> < 0.05), reduced ROS and malondialdehyde concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and significantly enhanced fertilization rates and blastocyst formation (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, incorporating curcumin into both the bovine semen cryopreservation solution and the oocyte IVM medium significantly improved the quality of frozen-thawed sperm, antioxidant activity, oocyte maturation, IVF rate, and embryonic development.