Abstract
Context: Rosa damascena L. (Rosaceae) (RD) essential oil and extracts are commonly used as a flavour in herbal medicine which increase libido. Previous studies have shown inhalation of RD flower’s oil increases libido and causes protective effects in formaldehyde (FA)-induced testicular damage.Objective: The protective effects of aqueous extract of RD on the male reproductive system of mice were examined following FA-induced damage.Materials and methods: Forty-eight adult NMRI male mice were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 8): control (normal saline, 10 mg/kg); RD40 (40 mg/kg, p.o.); FA treated (10 mg/kg of 10%, i.p.) and FA + RD treated at 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg (FA + RD10), (FA + RD20) and (FA + RD40), respectively, for 40 days. At the end of treatment regimes, serum testosterone (T) level and the reproductive activity, viz. body/organ weights, testicular structure and sperm characteristics were studied.Results: Formaldehyde administration significantly decreased serum T level (p < 0.001), testicular weight/volume, tubular diameter and sperm characteristics compared to the control group (p < 0.05). RD (40 mg/kg) administration in FA-treated mice significantly improved serum T level, testicular weight/histological structure, tubular diameter, Leydig cell number and epididymal sperm characteristics in comparison to its lower doses and the control group (p < 0.05).Discussion and conclusions: We may conclude that RD flower extract can withstand effects of FA in the male reproductive system of mice possibly due to its antioxidative properties.
Highlights
Herbal medicine has been used as a reliable source of remedies for a long time
RD treatment at 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg to FA-injected animals significantly increased the testosterone level as compared to FA treated group, but it was highly significant in RD40 as compared to lower doses (p < 0.001) (Figure 1)
Treatment of RD at 40 mg/kg RD did not show any improvement in these parameters as compared to control group (p > 0.05) (Table 1)
Summary
Herbal medicine has been used as a reliable source of remedies for a long time. Several plants have been recommended for the treatment of various diseases, including those that affect the reproductive system (Rivera et al 2013). (Rosaceae) (RD), commonly known as Damask rose (Kaul et al 2000), is known as Gole Mohammadi in Iran It is one of the most important species of Rosaceae family commonly used to increase libido as recommended in Iranian traditional medicine (Boskabady et al 2011). Previous studies have shown that FA has destructive effects on the respiratory, digestive and the central nervous systems (Kriebel et al 2001; Sarsilmaz et al 2007). It affects the reproductive system, it may cause infertility through testicular damage and decrease the levels of testosterone as well as sperm quality and concentration (Odeigah 1997; Sarsilmaz and Ozen 2000; Zeng et al 2003; Wang et al 2006; Xing et al 2007). The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of flower extract of RD in FA-induced reproductive toxicity in male mice
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