No abstract

Oral administration of aqueous ethanolic extract of Hymenocardia acida stem bark for eight weeks caused a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the weights of testes, epididymides, ventral prostrate, seminal vesicles and vasa differentia compared to the control. The treatment related decreases in sperm motility, count, viability and serum testosterone returned to near normal levels on withdrawal of the extract. The groups that received doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract showed 40, 0 and 0% fertility, respectively. H. acida stem bark extract adversely affected spermatogenesis in Wistar rats.

In developing nations, Moringa oleifera leaves are used for their nutritional and medicinal values and are rich in minerals and vitamins. Twenty rabbit bucks of mixed breeds, aged four to five weeks which weighed between 627.4g to 631.5g were used to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on testicular morphometry and sperm quality. Five bucks were randomly assigned to each of the four diets containing MOLM at 0%. 5%, 10% and 15% levels of inclusion. After eight weeks of ad libitum feeding, the bucks were sacrificed and evaluated for testicular morphometry and epididymal sperm characteristics. No significant effect (p > 0.05) of diets was observed on all the parameters studied. The results show that MOLM had no adverse effect on the testicular morphometry and epididymal sperm quality of rabbit bucks at inclusion level of up to 15%. It is suggested that Moringa oleifera leaves could be used in rabbit diets.

Background: Hepatorenal injuries and dyslipidemia are common global health challenges but medicinal plant extracts may have potential to prevent them. Thus, this study evaluated the protective effect of aqueous extract of Lophira lanceolata leaf (LLE) against cisplatin-induced hepatorenal injuries and dyslipidemia in albino Wistar rats. Methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each. Group I rats received distilled water and served as control, group II rats were given 5 mg/kg cisplatin (CIS) intraperitoneally, groups III and IV rats were treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg LLE respectively for 26 days by oral gavages while groups V and VI rats were treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg LLE respectively, followed by CIS on the 21st day as in group II. About 24 h after treatment, blood was collected from the rats; then serum was separated and used for estimations of biochemical parameters. The kidney and liver of rats were removed, rinsed in normal saline, stored in 10% formalin and used for histological analyses. Results: The biomarkers of hepatic (Aminotransferases, Alkaline phosphatase and Bilirubin) and renal (urea and creatinine) injuries, and dyslipidemia (Total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol) significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the rats exclusively exposed to cisplatin when compared with normal control. However, treatment of cisplatin-exposed rats with 200 and 400 mg/kg LLE significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the levels of these biomarkers of hepatorenal injuries and dyslipidemia when compared with cisplatin control. Photomicrographs showed pathological signs in the liver and kidney of rats exclusively exposed to cisplatin, but there was moderate protection of these tissues in the rats treated with LLE and cisplatin. Conclusion: The current findings have shown that Lophira lanceolata leaf extract may provide moderate protection against cisplatin-induced hepatorenal injuries and dyslipidemia in albino Wistar rats.