L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C

Meng, Qingzhe; Liu, Yongjin; Duan, Xiaohong; Zhang, Xifei; Wang, Guijiang; Min, Lingjiang; Bastawy, Eslam M.; Luo, Fei; Zhu, Zhendong

doi:10.3390/antiox15091086

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L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C

by

Qingzhe Meng

^1,†,

Yongjin Liu

^1,†,

Xiaohong Duan

²,

Xifei Zhang

²,

Guijiang Wang

²,

Lingjiang Min

¹,

Eslam M. Bastawy

³,

Fei Luo

^2,* and

Zhendong Zhu

^1,*

¹

College of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China

²

Hebei Livestock Breeding Station, Shijiazhuang 050060, China

³

Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, Australia

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Antioxidants 2026, 15(9), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091086 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 27 July 2026 / Revised: 22 August 2026 / Accepted: 27 August 2026 / Published: 28 August 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress)

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Abstract

Oxidative damage is closely associated with the gradual decline in boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17 °C. To determine whether L-histidine (L-His) could limit this deterioration, semen was diluted with an extender containing 0, 1, 10, 100, or 1000 μM L-His. Motility and acrosomal integrity were measured throughout storage. On day 7, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP content were determined together with intracellular probe oxidation, membrane lipid oxidation, and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining patterns. The stored sperm were subsequently exposed to capacitating conditions and tested for their ability to bind to oviductal explants. The most favorable responses were observed with 100 μM L-His. Compared with untreated semen, this group retained higher motility and acrosomal integrity and showed higher MMP and ATP content (p < 0.05). It also exhibited less intracellular probe oxidation and membrane lipid oxidation, together with lower proportions of Annexin V-positive and membrane-compromised sperm. Following capacitation induction, sperm stored with 100 μM L-His showed increased tyrosine phosphorylation and higher proportions of capacitated sperm. Their binding index to oviductal explants was also higher than that of the control group. These findings indicate that supplementation with 100 μM L-His can improve the preservation quality of boar sperm during extended liquid storage at 17 °C and maintain functional characteristics of stored sperm, providing new insights into the potential use of L-His as a semen extender supplement for prolonged storage.

Keywords: L-histidine; boar sperm; antioxidant activity; sperm quality

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MDPI and ACS Style

Meng, Q.; Liu, Y.; Duan, X.; Zhang, X.; Wang, G.; Min, L.; Bastawy, E.M.; Luo, F.; Zhu, Z. L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C. Antioxidants 2026, 15, 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091086

AMA Style

Meng Q, Liu Y, Duan X, Zhang X, Wang G, Min L, Bastawy EM, Luo F, Zhu Z. L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C. Antioxidants. 2026; 15(9):1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091086

Chicago/Turabian Style

Meng, Qingzhe, Yongjin Liu, Xiaohong Duan, Xifei Zhang, Guijiang Wang, Lingjiang Min, Eslam M. Bastawy, Fei Luo, and Zhendong Zhu. 2026. "L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C" Antioxidants 15, no. 9: 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091086

APA Style

Meng, Q., Liu, Y., Duan, X., Zhang, X., Wang, G., Min, L., Bastawy, E. M., Luo, F., & Zhu, Z. (2026). L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C. Antioxidants, 15(9), 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091086

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L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C

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