Effects of shilajit addition to honey bee diet on semen freezing
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of adding shilajit to the diet of honey bees on semen freezing. A total of 5 groups were formed in the research, one of which was a control group (SH-0) and the other four were an experimental group (SH-1, SH-2, SH-3, SH-4). A total of 25 study colonies were used, 5 in each group. While the SH-0 group was formed without using any additives, the experimental groups were fed with the addition of shilajit (1/1 sugar/water) in different doses (5, 10, 15, 20 mg/L) to the honey bee diet. The collected semen samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor and then stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. Then, semen samples were thawed at 37°C and evaluated to determine spermatological parameters (motility, acrosome integrity, plasma membrane integrity, spermatozoa concentration). It was also examined in terms of total oxidant and total antioxidant. Compared to the control group, it was determined that all shilajit doses significantly increased spermatological parameters such as motility, hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST), acrosome integrity (p<0.001), but did not significantly affect the spermatozoa concentration value (p >0.05). Although there is no statistical difference between the groups in terms of semen TAS (Total Antioxidant Status) and TOS (Total Oxidant Status) values, which are oxidative stress parameters, the numerical increase in TAS values in SH-2 and SH-3 groups; striking. As a result, it was determined that adding shijajit to the honey bee diet positively affected the post-thawing spermatological parameters of frozen bee semen.
Keywords
References
- Agarwal, S. P., Khanna, R., Karmarkar, R., Anwer, M. K., & Khar, R. K. (2007). Shilajit: a review. Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives, 21(5), 401-405. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.2100
- Alcay, S., Cakmak, S., Cakmak, I., Mulkpinar, E., Toker, M. B., Ustuner, B., Sen, H., & Nur, Z. (2019). Drone semen cryopreservation with protein supplemented TL-Hepes based extender. Kafkas Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 25(4), 553-557.
- Alvarez, J. G., & Storey, B. T. (1995). Differential incorporation of fatty acids into and peroxidative loss of fatty acids from phospholipids of human spermatozoa. Molecular reproduction and development, 42(3), 334-346. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.1080420311
- Biswas, T. K., Pandit, S., Mondal, S., Biswas, S. K., Jana, U., Ghosh, T., Tripathi, P.C., Debnath, P.K., Auddy, R.G., & Auddy, B. (2010). Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia, 42(1), 48-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0272.2009.00956.x
- Carrasco-Gallardo, C., Guzmán, L., & Maccioni, R. B. (2012). Shilajit: a natural phytocomplex with potential procognitive activity. International Journal of Alzheimer’s disease, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/674142
- Cobey, S. W. (2007). Comparison studies of instrumentally inseminated and naturally mated honey bee queens and factors affecting their performance. Apidologie, 38(4), 390-410. https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:2007029
- Cobey, S. W., Tarpy, D. R., & Woyke, J. (2013). Standard methods for instrumental insemination of Apis mellifera queens. Journal of Apicultural Research, 52(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3896/IBRA.1.52.4.11
- Danka, R. G., Rinderer, T. E., Hellmich, R. L., & Collins, A. M. (1986). Foraging population sizes of africanized and european honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies. Apidologie, 17(3), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:19860301
- Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.G. & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 175-191.
- Ghosal, S. (1990). Chemistry of shilajit, an immunomodulatory Ayurvedic rasayan. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 62(7), 1285-1288. https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199062071285
