Abstract
The high rate of male infertility and the meager resources to manage same in sub Saharan Africa have necessitated the search for cost effective and available alternatives. Mushrooms have been used traditionally in folk medicine and as nutraceuticals. This study has investigated the effect of the wild mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) deleterious effects on the reproductive system of male rats. Thirty six rats were divided into six groups of six animals each. Group I (negative control) received 10 ml/kg olive oil intraperitoneal weekly in addition to feed and water ad libitum. Group II (positive control) received CCl4 10 ml/kg (30% in Olive oil) weekly. Group III, IV, and V received 100 mg, 20 0mg, and 500 mg P. tuber-regium (33.3% in feed) daily in addition to 10 ml/kg CCl4 weekly. Group VI received 500 mg P. tuber-regium (33.3% in feed) daily. After 4 weeks, sperm motility, epididymal count and vitality were determined. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), testosterone, Luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin and oestradiol were estimated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Histopathologic examinations of the testis were carried out. Carbon tetrachloride significantly reduced the sperm motility (54.33 ± 3.79%), epididymal count (28.73 ± 2.86 × 106/ml, vitality (4.96 ± 0.62), LH (0.88 ± 0.14), FSH (2.04 ± 0.33), and Testosterone (2.02 ± 0.24) when compared with control (89.33 ± 9.01), 91.91 ± 1.92 × 106/ml, 13.12 ± 0.19, 2.74 ± 0.32, 3.64 ± 0.62, and 4.16 ± 0.23, respectively, which were reversed by P. tuber-regium administration. Co-administration of P. tuber-regium plus CCl4 significantly reduced MDA level. P. tuber-regium showed dose dependent ameliorative activity against CCl4 deleterious action on the testis and may be beneficial in the management of male infertility.
Highlights
Infertility affects at least 20% of married couples and growing evidence suggest an increasing incidence of male reproductive problems (Kolettis, 2003; Nayernia et al, 2004)
This study has evaluated the ameliorative effects of P. tuberregium in carbon tetrachloride induced testicular damage in Sprague Dawley rats
The present study has investigated the effect of P. tuber-regium on carbon tetrachloride induced testicular injury in animal model
Summary
Infertility affects at least 20% of married couples and growing evidence suggest an increasing incidence of male reproductive problems (Kolettis, 2003; Nayernia et al, 2004). In Africa, infertility prevalence rates are feared to be higher and range from 20 to 35% (Eze and Okonofua, 2015). Nigeria has about twelve million infertile persons (Giwa-Osagie, 2003). There is a general documented belief that the most common cause of infertility in Nigeria is infection (Cates et al, 1985; Orisakwe et al, 2004), cases abound where infection have been treated without correction of infertility (Giwa-Osagie, 2003). In Nigeria there are higher rates of irreversible oligospermia or azoospermia than most other causes of infertility and less resources for the management of infertility (Osegbe and Amaku, 1985)
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