Abstract
This study was designed to determine the effects of prolonged oral administration of aqueous leaf extract of Leptadenia hastata Pers (Decne) on sperm concentration, sperm motility and testicular histology in Wistar rats. Rats were given graded doses (200, 400, 600 and 800 mg kg-1) of aqueous leaf extract of L. hastata orally for 28 days. Weekly changes in sperm concentration and motility as well as testicular weight and histology were monitored. Sperm concentration, motility and testicular weights did not show significant change (p>0.05) among the groups, but a significant difference (p<0.05) exist between control group and the group that had the highest dose (800 mg/kg) of L. hastata. Histopathological studies revealed marked depletion of spermatozoa in the testes and epididymis of rats that received 800 mg/kg of L. hastata. Prolonged administration of aqueous leaf extract of L. hastata at 800 mg/kg caused a reduction in total sperm concentration, sperm motility and a reduction in testicular weight in rats. Key words: Fertility, Leptadenia hastata, spermiogram, rats, testis.
Highlights
Medicinal plants have been used in many parts of Africa and other parts of the world for the treatment of diseases (Algier et al, 2005)
Earlier studies on the effects of L. hastata leaf extract on the reproductive system in rats showed that the leaf extract had antiandrogenic effects (Bayala et al, 2011)
Results from this study show that prolonged administration of aqueous L. hastata leaf extract to male rats caused reductions (p>0.05) in testicular weight, sperm counts and sperm motility
Summary
Medicinal plants have been used in many parts of Africa and other parts of the world for the treatment of diseases (Algier et al, 2005). Leptadenia hastata Pers Decne (Njara in Kanuri, Yadiya in Hausa, Sabato, Kusubi in Fulani and Hagalhadjar in Arabic) belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae (Thomas, 2012). It is a perennial voluble plant, light green in colour with creeping latex stems which could climb a height of up to 10 cm (Garba et al, 2013). In the light of the foregoing, this study was designed to determine the effect of aqueous extract of L. hastata leaves on sperm characteristics and histology of the testes and epididymis of rats
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