Reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe vera plant

Abstract

The reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe vera plant was studied using twelve male fish weighing 500-560g.The fish were divided into 3 groups; A, B and C with four fish in each group. Group A was treated with 2% Aloe vera gel while group B was treated with 3% and Group C the control was treated with distil water. Blood and semen samples were collected for analysis and histology of the testis was done. Spermiogram revealed that as the concentration of the gel increased, the motility and sperm count decreased. Although the decrease in sperm motility was significant (p<0.05), the decrease in the sperm count was not significant (p>0.05) across the groups. Percentage liveability of sperm cells was significantly lower (p<0.05) in treated groups than control. The control group had higher semen volume, this volume was however not significantly different (p>0.05) from other treatments. Morphological studies showed that group B (3% group) had a significantly higher value (p<0.05) of total sperm abnormalities than the other groups. The best histological integrity of the testes was observed in group C (control).This study concludes that exposure of male C. gariepinus to all treatment levels of Aloe vera gel is detrimental to the reproductive potential of the catfish and could be a cause of infertility in the catfish.

Keywords: Clarias gariepinus, Aloe vera, spermiogram and histology