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ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effects of the administration of methanoiic leaf extract of Piper guineense on serum concentration of testosterone, cauda epididymal sperm reserves (CESR), gonadosomatic weights of the testes and epididymides as well as testicular histomorphoiogy of male albino rats. Twenty four adult maie rats of 12 weeks of age were used for the study. Commercial pelleted feed and water were provided ad libitum. The rats were randomly selected into 4 groups of six rats each designated A, B, C and D. Group A served as untreated control and received only distilled water; while groups B, C and D received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of the methanoiic leaf extract of Piper guineense respectively for 30 days. Oral administration of the plant leaf extract was done every other day with the aid of orogastric cannula. There was no significant variation (p>0.05) in the mean serum testosterone concentration and cauda epididymal sperm reserves across the different groups. However, the mean gonadosomatic weights of the testes of the different treatment groups and the mean gonadosomatic weight of the epididymis of only group C (100 mg/kg body weight) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the control. There was no obvious histomorphologic lesion in testes of the rats of the different groups. It was concluded that oral administration of methanoiic seed extract of P. guineense at50, 100 and200 mg/kg body weight every other day for 30 days did not affect testosterone concentration, CESR and testicular histomorphoiogy but caused an increase in the aiiometric weight of the testes.
Keywords: Piper guineense, Testis, Testosterone, Cauda epididymal sperm reserves, Rattus norvegicus
INTRODUCTION
Infertility is a major problem amongst human population and the use of phytomedicine is becoming increasingly popular for the treatment of reproductive health problems (Ekere et ai., 2013). The use of plant products forms an integral part of the Nigerian ethnomedical practice. Despite its successes, phytomedicine is fraught with drawbacks which include lack of dosage regimen and documented potential adverse effects (Omoja et al., 2015). Yongabi (2004) listed Piper guineense in the Nigerian phytomedical pharmacopoeia. This plant belongs to the family Piperaceae (Macmillan, 1984; Iwu, 2014) and its other common names include bush pepper, Benin pepper and Ashanti pepper. Among the Nigerian ethnic nationalities,...