Background: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is extensively used in various industries and induces oxidative stress in humans. Unfortunately, it is one of the neglected potent male reproductive toxicants.
Objective: The present research reports the testicular histopathology of CCl4 and ameliorations by four medicinal fruit pulp extracts (FPEs) in mice.
Materials and Methods: Sixty male albino mice were divided into six groups (10/group) as per the following: 1. Vehicle control (Vc); 2. CCl4 (C); 3-6. CCl4+Basella alba (CBa), CCl4+Solanum nigrum (CSn), CCl4+Ficus carica (CFc) and CCl4+Grewia asiatica (CGa). Except for the control group, CCl4 (0.1 mL of 0.2 mL kg−1) was given to the animals in corn oil. The four plant extracts (0.1 mL each) were respectively given to the relevant FPE group animals for the next five consecutive days, while the animals in the Vc and CCl4 groups received water instead of FPE.
Results: The CCl4 exposure led to various histometric and histological alterations (loss of interstitial tissue and various dislodged tailless spermatids with enlarged heads) that were recovered in all except Solanum nigrum FPE mice post-treatment. The micrometric data of testicular sections also indicated significant decline in the number of spermatogonia, while the cross-sectional area of the sperm heads remained significantly higher in the CSn and C groups.
Conclusion: Except for Solanum nigrum, the three FPEs, especially Ficus carica, showed rehabilitative properties against CCl4 exposure-related modifications in testicular histopathologies.
Key words: Basella alba, Grewia asiatica, Solanum nigrum, Ficus carica, testis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.