Sperm characterization, hormone assay and fertility test in male albino Wistar rats treated with ethanol extract of Phyllanthus niruri

Abstract

Background: Failure to have a child is an unpleasant event in the lives of infertile people and is seen as the inability to conceive after at least one year of regular unprotected sex. About 30%-50% of the causes of infertility are related to male problems
Aim: The present study was aimed at evaluating the profertility effect of the n-hexane extract of whole plant part Phyllanthus niruri using male albino Wistar rats.
Materials and Methods: Daily oral doses of (10, 100 and 1000 mg/kg) the extract was administered to each animal in five different test groups for 28 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration, all the animals were weighed and sacrificed. The blood was collected for reproductive hormonal assay such as luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Estrogen and testosterone levels while the epididymis were isolated for sperm analysis and characterization respectively. Fertility test was carried out by monogamy mating method.
Results: The result revealed significant progressive increase (p≤0.05) in the body weight across the extract treated groups. Results obtained from the hormonal assay showed a dose dependent increase in the levels of testosterone but luteinizing hormones (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Estrogen significantly (p≤0.05) decreased dose dependently. Result obtained from the sperm analysis revealed significant increases in sperm motility and sperm count, while the sperm characterization showed normal sperm morphology in the extract treated animals when compared with the control (2 ml/kg). All the females mated to the treated males were pregnant and delivered twenty-one (21) days later.
Conclusion: These findings conclude that the N-hexane extract of the whole plant part of Phyllanthus niruri has pro-fertility activity in males and should be subjected to clinical trials.