Effect of Alpinia Officinarum Rhizome Extract on Fertility and Sexual Behavior of Adult Male Albino Rats Treated with Sotalol

Abstract

Background: Infertility in cardiovascular patients is not only attributed to pathogenesis of the disease but, also to the used therapeutic drugs. Beta blockers which are corner stone in treatment of these patients are reported to affect fertility and sexual behavior in patients using them. Alpinia officinarum (A. officinarum) rhizome extracts are widely used for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to improve oxidative stress which affects organs due to using different drugs or pathogenesis of different diseases. \nObjective: The current work aimed to study effect of Alpinia officinarum rhizome extract on improving the reproductive function and sexual behavior of adult male Albino rat treated with Sotalol. \nMaterials and Methods: Fifty adult male Albino rats were categorized into five groups. Group I control, group II (A. officinarum group) received A. officinarum extract at a dose of 200mg/kg/day in olive oil orally by gastric tube for 21 days, group III (Sotalol group) received Sotalol at a dose of 3mg/kg/day orally by gastric tube for 21 days, group IV (protected group) received the extract then Sotalol and group V (treated group) received Sotalol then the extract. Then fifty adult female rats were used for assessment of sexual behavior through observing mount latency and frequency. \nResults: Sotalol induced testicular destruction in the form of shedding of germinal epithelium, hyaline deposition, decreased sperm count with decreased testosterone level, increased oxidative stress in the form of decreased Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and increased Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Deterioration of sexual behavior in the form of increased mount latency and decreased mount frequency was noticed in the Sotalol group. A. officinarum extract produced a great preservation of testicular structure and sexual behavior in the protected group (IV) together with improvement in the treated group (V). \nConclusion: Sotalol induced destructive effects on the testicular structure, function and sexual behavior which were greatly improved by using A. officinarum extract.