ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Reproduction - Theriogenology
This article is part of the Research TopicReproductive biotechnologies and challenges in their application - volume IIView all 10 articles
Europium Oxide Nanoparticles (EONP) Enhance the Cryoprotective Effects of Chilled Rabbit Semen Preservation via Antioxidant and Mitochondrial Enhancement
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract Introduction: This study investigated the cryoprotective effects of europium oxide nanoparticles (nanozymes; EONP) on rabbit sperm quality during 72 hours of chilled storage at 4°C due to its robust antioxidant ability (mimicking enzymes) and mitochondrial enhancer. Methods: In this experiment, diluted semen samples were treated with different concentrations of EONP: 0 (EONP0), 25 (EONP25), 50 (EONP50), or 100 (EONP100) ng/mL. The treated samples were then stored at 4°C for three days. Sperm quality attributes such as viability, motility, membrane integrity, and morphology were measured at 24, 48, and 72 hours of storage. Oxidative/antioxidant activities and mitochondrial enzyme levels were also assessed after 72 hours of storage. Results: The results show a quadratic relationship between EONP supplementation (at 25 or 50 ng/mL) and improved sperm motility, viability, and membrane integrity at all time points observed (P<0.01). Additionally, a dose-dependent relationship was found between EONP levels and the concentrations of GPx, CAT, and SOD. In contrast, all groups supplemented with EONP showed a significant decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitric oxide (NO) levels compared to the extender without EONP (P<0.001). The activities of succinate dehydrogenase (SD), malate dehydrogenase (MD), citrate synthase (CS), and ATP showed significant and quadratic improvements at EONP concentrations of 50 and 100 ng/mL compared to the 25 ng/mL concentration. Principal component analysis 1 (PCA1) was positively correlated with EONP supplementation, antioxidant markers, mitochondrial enzyme activities, and sperm quality parameters. Principal component analysis 2 (PCA2) showed a negative association between different EONP concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100 ng/mL) and oxidative markers and sperm abnormalities after 72 hours of preservation at 4°C. Discussion: Nanozyme supplementation of rabbit semen extenders significantly improves sperm quality during 72-hour chilled storage by increasing antioxidant competence, reducing oxidative stress, and boosting mitochondrial enzyme activity. Our data suggest that europium oxide nanoparticles are a promising additive for chilled rabbit semen preservation, with implications for artificial insemination and rabbit breeding.
Keywords: Chilled rabbit semen, Europium oxide nanoparticles, Mitochondria enzymes, Nanozyme, Semen quality
Received: 25 Nov 2025; Accepted: 19 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alfattah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohammed A. Alfattah
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.