Effect of l-arginine complementary food on stud dogs semen characteristics: preliminary results

Normal semen characteristics are a prerequisite for male reproductive success. Several studies have shown that l-arginine enhances sperm motility in spermatozoa of goat, bull and mouse and, to a certain extent, also in asthenospermic humans. This study reports preliminary results on the effect of l-arginine complementary food supplementation on stud dogs semen characteristics. Fourteen healthy stud dogs, 3–12 years old, belonging to several breeds, with history of at least one unsuccessful breeding with females of proven fertility were enrolled. The dogs were submitted to a first unevaluated semen collection and subsequently to double collections and routine analysis, 7 and 21 days after, to define d0. L-arginine food supplementation (Riprofert , Marpet, Italy) started immediately after the second ‘basal’ collection and consisted of 600 mg L-aspartate arginine/dogs with body weight ranging between 6 and 30 kg/day for a total of 70 days. Semen was further analysed at day 35 (d35) and 70 (d70) after the beginning of supplementation. Results showed that sperm motility improved at d35 and d70 vs. d0 (p < 0.001) and again at d70 vs. d35 (p < 0.05); sperm morphology also improved at d35 and d70 vs. d0 (p ≤ 0.001) and again at d70 vs. d35 (p < 0.01). Sperm concentration did not change significantly. The preliminary results suggest that l-arginine food supplementation could be useful for sperm motility and morphology improvement in stud dogs with suspected infertility