{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,2]],"date-time":"2025-10-02T00:27:16Z","timestamp":1759364836014,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759104000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"INOVEP project\u2014Innovation with Plant Extracts","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["33815"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["33815"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Foundation for Science and Technology"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"European Regional Development Fund","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["SFRH\/\/BD\/136192\/2018","SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/\/BD\/136192\/2018","SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["UIDB\/00212\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00212\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia, I.P.","award":["UIDB\/00681\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00681\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Extracts of aromatic medicinal plants have been extensively studied regarding their numerous bioactivities. However, despite being highly used by humans, studies on the safety of these extracts for animal use are scarce. In this study, we aim to contribute to the determination of the safety profile of plant extracts by focusing on the reproductive toxicity of hydrolates (a by-product of essential oils production) of four endogenous Portuguese plants\u2014Cistus ladanifer, Cupressus lusitanica, Helychrisium italicum, and Thymbra capitata\u2014by studying their effects on bovine oocytes and spermatozoa. To achieve our aims, we determined the oocyte maturation and viability rate in the bovine in vitro maturation test (bIVM) and the bovine sperm viability using the eosin\u2013nigrosin test, in the presence of five concentrations of each hydrolate at half-log intervals (% v\/v of culture media). We found that hydrolates did not affect oocyte maturation or viability (maximum concentration tested: 0.2%, v\/v). Regarding the sperm viability test, we found that T. capitata and C. ladanifer hydrolates impaired sperm viability (p &lt; 0.05) (maximum concentration tested: 0.2%, v\/v), in comparison with the negative control. In summary, we found that H. italicum and C. lusitanica hydrolates were safe regarding oocyte maturation, oocyte viability, and sperm viability, being candidates to be included in bovine husbandry as feeding additives.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15192838","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T11:40:52Z","timestamp":1759146052000},"page":"2838","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Reproductive Toxicity Assessment of Four Portuguese Plant Hydrolates: Effects on Oocyte Maturation and Sperm Viability"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0123-8400","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandra Duarte-da-Fonseca","family":"Dias","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"IPCB-ESA\u2014School of Agriculture, Polytechnic University, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9206-2350","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00eds","family":"Pinto-de-Andrade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IPCB-ESA\u2014School of Agriculture, Polytechnic University, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"},{"name":"CERNAS\u2014Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5291-212X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joana","family":"Rolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0144-2543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Gaspar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Patr\u00edcia","family":"Gomes-Ruivo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Reproductive Medicine Unit, Centro Hospitalar Universit\u00e1rio Cova da Beira (CHUCB), EPE, 6200-251 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0659-4386","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Sofia","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9209-7772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandra Saraiva","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Centre of Mathematics and Applications, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9311-8355","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rita","family":"Palmeira-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Martinez-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3387-4487","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Carlos","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IPCB-ESA\u2014School of Agriculture, Polytechnic University, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"},{"name":"CERNAS\u2014Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1238-9386","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernanda","family":"Delgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IPCB-ESA\u2014School of Agriculture, Polytechnic University, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"},{"name":"CERNAS\u2014Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, 6000-084 Castelo Branco, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Palmeira-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"RISE-Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"489","article-title":"Methanolic extract of Fraxinus xanthoxyloides attenuates cisplatin-induced reproductive toxicity in male albino rats","volume":"40","author":"Ijaz","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pak. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"759","DOI":"10.1007\/s13596-020-00507-w","article-title":"Genetic and reproductive toxicity of aqueous extracts of Telfairia occidentalis (Hook F.), Vernonia amygdalina and their combination on the testicular cells of male mice","volume":"21","author":"Oyinleye","year":"2021","journal-title":"Adv. Tradit. 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