Dietary resveratrol improves semen quality by promoting mitochondrial function-related genes expression in aging boars

Boar semen quality is a significant factor affecting reproductive efficiency in modern farms, and resveratrol (RES) has the potential to reduce mouse sperm mortality in our previous studies. Here, we found that dietary supplementation of RES (500 mg/kg) delayed the decline in semen quality by increasing sperm motility and survivability in aging boars (P < 0.01, n = 6) by a 12-wk trial. RES increased the testosterone level and total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01), while decreasing the cortisol (P < 0.05) and malondialdehyde (MDA, P < 0.01) in serum. Immunofluorescence assay and electron microscope scanning revealed that RES reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and MDA (P < 0.01) to alleviate oxidative damage in semen. Analysis of mitochondrial function-related genes indicated that RES improved mitochondrial structural integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.01) by increasing the mRNA expression of PGC-1α, TFB1M, and TFB2M (P < 0.01). These results demonstrated that RES can enhance semen quality and antioxidant capacity potentially through improving sperm mitochondrial function in aging boars.