Coconut Oil Extract Mitigates Testicular Injury Following Adjuvant Treatment with Antiretroviral Drugs

Abstract

Increased access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has made the management of drug toxicities an increasingly crucial component of HIV. This study investigated the effects of adjuvant use of coconut oil and HAART on testicular morphology and seminal parameters in Sprague- Dawley rats. Twelve adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 153~169 g were distributed into four groups (A–D) and treated as follows: A served as control (distilled water); B (HAART cocktail- Zidovudine, Lamivudine and Nevirapine); C (HAART + Virgin coconut oil 10 mL/kg) and D (Virgin coconut oil 10 mL/kg). After 56 days of treatment, animals were killed and laparotomy to exercise the epididymis for seminal fluid analyses done whilst testicular tissues were processed for histomorphometric studies. Result showed a significant decline in sperm motility (P < 0.05) and count (P < 0.0001) in HAART-treated animals while there was insignificant changes in other parameters in groups C and D except count that was reduced (P < 0.0001) when compared with controls. Histomorphological studies showed HAART caused disorders in seminiferous tubular architecture with significant (P < 0.01) decline in epithelial height closely mirrored by extensive reticulin framework and positive PAS cells. Adjuvant Virgin coconut oil + HAART resulted in significant decrease in seminiferous tubular diameter (P < 0.05), but other morphometric and histological parameters were similar to control or Virgin coconut oil alone (which showed normal histoarchitecture levels). While derangements in testicular and seminal fluid parameters occurred following HAART, adjuvant treatment with Virgin coconut oil restored the distortions emanating thereof.

Adjuvant potential of virgin coconut oil extract on antiretroviral therapy-induced testicular toxicity: An ultrastructural study

“…In the present study, the testicular ultrastructure of the HAART‐treated rats displayed an abnormally significant increased thickness of basement membrane (refer to Figure a). This actually conforms to our previous work and another study indicating that HAART increases carbohydrate components and contributes to extensive fibrosis around the basement membrane (Azu et al., ; Ogedengbe et al., ). As the entire basement membrane is made of extracellular matrix, interactions between the matrix, tubular wall and germinal cells will contribute significantly to normal testicular development (Favorito, Hidalgo, Pazos, Costa, & Sampaio, ).…”

“…However, we report, for the first time, the role of VCO in alleviating HAART‐induced testicular ultrastructural alterations. Our previous work on the testicular histomorphology and seminal fluid parameters revealed that VCO mitigated HAART‐induced alterations in male Sprague‐Dawley rats (Ogedengbe et al., ). Accumulating evidence has also shown that VCO is effective in improving semen parameters (Dosumu et al., ), enhances insulin secretion, lower lipid levels in serum and tissues, and could alleviate other pathological conditions (Rahim et al., ).…”

“…B (HAART cocktail) using human therapeutic equivalent doses (600, 300 and 400 mg/day of zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine, respectively, were dissolved in 100 ml of distilled water and adjusted to the equivalent animal dose of 1.89, 0.95 and 1.26 mg/kg body weight respectively) (Ogedengbe et al., ; Umar et al., ).…”

“…It has been reported to improve the semen quality, boost serum testosterone levels and protect against testicular toxicities (Dosumu, Duru, Osinubi, Oremosu, & Noronha, ). Our previous study focusing on the testicular histomorphology and seminal fluid parameters demonstrated the ameliorative potential of VCO against the ravages induced by HAART (Ogedengbe et al., ). Studies have also acknowledged its neuroprotective and memory enhancing abilities (Rahim, Lim, Mani, Abdul Majeed, & Ramasamy, ), hepatoprotective potential, reduction of body weight (Gunasekaran et al., ) and its capacity to ease parturition as well as possible prevention of birth defects (Ab Rahman et al., ).…”

Improved Histoarchitectural Changes with Angiotensin Receptor Blockers in Early Testicular and Cauda Toxicity in Rats

“…Thickening of basement membrane and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins are characteristics of fibrotic disorders of multiple organs including liver and kidney (Rosenbloom et al, 2010). In rats, PAS staining was used as a histomorphological method to detect disorders in seminiferous tubular histoarchitecture (Ogedengbe et al, 2016). In the present study, both candesartan and lorsartan modulated the TAA-induced testicular toxicity and all histological and immunohistochemical alteration in both testicular tissue and cauda epididymis tubules with non-significant differences in-between.…”