Polyphenol‐rich fraction ofAlchornea cordifolialeaf ameliorates arsenite‐induced infertility in male rats

Abstract

Infertility is defined as reduced capacity or inability to produce viable offspring. The occurrence of infertility in male and female is approximately fifty per cent each, and male animals have been implicated in as much as two thirds of reduced cases of inability to conceive (Agarwal et al., 2015), with approximately 1 in 20 of the male population exhibiting some level of infertility (Aitken et al., 2012). In males, the causes of infertility are numerous, with progressively decreasing average number of spermatozoa production reported in various species (Olayemi, 2010), due to genetic, environmental, hormonal, nutritional, management, and more recently, exposure to a myriad of drugs and chemicals that may contaminate the environment (Flint & Woolliams, 2008; Foote, 2003). Arsenic is an environmental contaminant that causes reproductive toxicity in humans and animals through the induction of oxidative stress in the testicular microenvironment with consequent impaired semen quality (Ince et al., 2016; Kim & Kim, 2015). It has been reported that arsenic compounds cause structural abnormalities and oxidative stress-mediated alterations, as well as cellular apoptosis in spermatozoa (Guvvala et al., 2018). Furthermore, Arsenic has been reported to disrupt endocrine physiology by modulating the regulation

Contemporary Comprehensive Review on Arsenic-Induced Male Reproductive Toxicity and Mechanisms of Phytonutrient Intervention

“…Zinc works as a cofactor for SOD and can chelate As, demonstrating its antioxidant properties in rats, whereas Vitamin C at a dose of 200 mg/kg increased testosterone, FSH, and LH and improved histopathological lesions in Teddy goat bucks [195]. Oral administration of Alchornea cordifolia at 100 µg/kg for 30 days raised testosterone, FSH, spermatozoa count, and motility, as well as the expression of androgen receptor binding protein, and anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 in the testis of rats [196]. Treatment with 200 mg/kg Vitamin E for 84 days increased spermatogenesis and restored blood LH, FSH, and testosterone levels [167], and improved semen quality in Teddy goat buck testicular tissue [200].…”