Ao Okanlawon

Antiovulatory and anti-implantation potential of the methanolic extract of seeds of Abrus precatorius in the rat.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of the methanolic extract of seeds of Abrus precatorius on the estrous cycle, ovulation, and implantation of fetuses in Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS Cyclic female rats were randomly classified into 4 groups (A through D). Treated rats in group A had daily vaginal smears for a total of 64 consecutive days while being fed A precatorius extract for the first 32 of those days. Treated rats in group B received a single oral dose of the extract on the day of proestrus and were killed the following morning so that shed ova could be counted. Treated rats in group C received A precatorius extract from postcoital day 1 to 10 and were killed on day 12 to assess for anti-implantation effect, whereas the treated dams in group D received the extract from the 6th to the 19th day of gestation. The control animals in all 4 groups received an equal volume of distilled water. RESULTS The methanolic extract of A precatorius caused a reversible disruption in the estrous cycle of the regularly cyclic rats and completely blocked ovulation in all the treated rats. Despite successful mating of the female rats with male rats of proven fertility, uterine dissection on postcoital day 12 revealed neither implantation nor resorption sites in all the animals treated with A precatorius. The extract of A precatorius caused a decrease in mean body weight, mean crown-rump length, and mean tail length of fetuses of the treated rats. CONCLUSION There is a need to continue the search for new antifertility agents that have minimal side effects and widespread acceptability in addition to being reversible, affordable, and accessible. In this study, methanolic extract of A precatorius seeds caused reversible alterations in the estrous cycle pattern and completely blocked ovulation in Sprague-Dawley rats. In addition, the extract demonstrated anti-implantation activity and the potential to affect gross fetal morphometry in rats.

Bromelain in the early phase of healing in acute crush Achilles tendon injury.

Bromelain, an enzyme extracted from the stem of the pineapple plant has been proposed as a treatment for reducing pain and swelling following acute muscle injuries but studies are yet to be done on its effect on tendon healing. This study therefore investigated the effects of bromelain on tenocyte proliferation and the tendon malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the early stage of healing in a crush injury to the Achilles tendon of Sprague‐Dawley rats.

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Bromelain and Fresh Pineapple Juice on the Early Phase of Healing in Acute Crush Achilles Tendon Injury

Bromelain, an enzyme extracted from the stem of the pineapple plant, has been reported to reduce pain and swelling in acute soft tissue injuries, but no study has been done to compare its effect with that of fresh pineapple juice on the healing of acute tendon injuries. This study compared the effects of commercial bromelain and fresh pineapple juice on tenocyte proliferation and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the early stage of healing in a crush injury to the Achilles tendon of Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty-four male rats were divided randomly into three groups of eight rats each; all the rats had induced crush injury to the Achilles tendon: Group 1 (control), no treatment; Group 2, oral bromelain treatment at a dosage of 7 mg/kg of body weight daily; and Group 3, fresh diluted pineapple juice at a dosage of 30 mg/kg of body weight. Treatment was given over the first 14 days post-injury. On day 15 post-injury, the animals were sacrificed, and the tendons were excised and processed for histological study and MDA assay. Results show a significant difference in the tenocyte population between the bromelain group and the control (P < .05), whereas pineapple juice also increased the tenocyte population, although not significantly (P = .36). Pineapple juice, however, significantly lowered the MDA level compared with both the control and bromelain-treated groups. Based on this study, 600 GDU bromelain given at a dosage of 7 mg/kg had a better effect on tenocyte proliferation than fresh pineapple juice given once daily in acute tendon injury.

Stereological Evaluation of the Effects of Momordica charantia, antioxidants and Testosterone on Seminiferous Tubules of Rat

El consumo ubicuo de Momordica charantia ha girado en torno a su potencial participacion en el alivio de dolencias. El objetivo fue estudiar los efectos del extracto de la semilla de Momordica charantia (MC), acido ascorbico (C), alfa-tocoferol (E) y testosterona (T) sobre parametros histomorfometricos en testiculos de ratas. Noventa y cinco ratas machos Sprague-Dawley (S-D) maduras (6-8 semanas de edad) fueron asignadas al azar en seis grupos. Grupo I: alimentados con MC durante 16 semanas. Grupo II: MC administrado durante 8 semanas, luego agua destilada por otras 8 semanas. Grupo III: C, E, T administrados junto a una combinacion de las tres soluciones de prueba (CET) durante 8 semanas y luego alimentados con MC por otras 8 semanas. Grupo IV: MC inicialmente durante 8 semanas y posteriormente C, E, T y CET por otras 8 semanas. Grupo V: alimentado al mismo tiempo con el extracto, C, E, T y CET durante 8 semanas. Grupo VI (control): administrado con C, E, T, CET y agua destilada durante 16 semanas. Las dosis de MC, C, E y T fueron de 50 mg/100 g de peso corporal/oral/dia, 0,01, 20,0 y 0,05 mg/kg. Los animales fueron sacrificados y se estimo el volumen de los testiculos. El diametro, area de seccion transversal (AC), el numero de perfiles por unidad de area (NA), la densidad de longitud (LV) y la densidad numerica (NV) de los tubulos seminiferos fueron determinados. Los volumenes medio testicular, diametro de tubulos y AC mostraron una disminucion significativa (p 0,05) en los grupos I y III en comparacion con los controles. Al quitar MC, los valores se recuperaron al valor basal de control. Los grupos IV y V, no fueron significativamente diferentes de los controles (p 0,05). Hubo una diferencia significativa (p 0,05) con aumento de la NA, LV y NV de los tubulos seminiferos de los grupos I y III en comparacion con los controles. Los datos histomorfometricos apoyan la reversibilidad de los efectos nocivos de la MC en los testiculos.

Preliminary study on the antioxidant effect of Kigelia africana fruit extract (Bignoniacieae) in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Testicular germ cells as well as epididymal maturing spermatozoa are endowed with enzymatic and non-enzymatic scavenger systems to protect lipid peroxidation damage. A number of pathologies and systemic challenges can lead to an antioxidant/pro-oxidant disequilibrium. With increasing interest in herbal therapies for management of some fertility-related and inflammatory conditions, we investigated the antioxidant effect of Kigelia africana fruit extract (KAFE) on normal rats. KAFE showed a non-dose dependent elevation in testicular catalase (p < 0.05), significant decline in malondialdehyde (p < 0.001) and an up-regulation of glutathione (p < 0.001) levels. Seminal parameters were also enhanced by KAFE with the lower dose producing better effects. Male infertility is frequently accompanied by increased testicular or seminal fluid oxidative stress. This result provides further scientific basis for the use of KAFE in the treatment of male infertility.

Palliative effect of Pausinystallia macroceras on testicular ischemic reperfusion injury in Wistar rats: a histological study

La torsion testicular es un trastorno que involucra el escroto resultando en un compromiso del suministro sanguineo. El objetivo fue investigar el efecto de Pausinystallia macroceras (PM) en la histologia testicular tras torsion-detorsion a intervalos de tiempo diferentes que van desde 1 a 4 horas en 65 ratas macho Wistar maduras, asignando aleatoriamente en siete grupos (desde A a G, mientras que E y F se dividieron en 4 subgrupos). Cada grupo/subgrupo estuvo compuesto por 5 ratas. Los testiculos se mantuvieron en posicion torsionada (T) durante 1, 2, 3 y 4 horas en los grupos A (AT1 + PM), B (BT2 + PM), C (CT3 + PM) y D (DT4 + PM). El grupo E, subgrupos (E1 + PM, E2 + PM + PM E3, E4 + PM) fueron operados por modelo sham sin torsion, que sirvio de control. El grupo F, subgrupos (F1T1, F2T2, F3T3 y F4T4) fueron torsionados como en A. Todos los animales (excepto los grupos F y G) fueron tratados con extracto de AM (0,1 g/kg peso corporal/dia) durante 56 dias. El grupo G fueron ratas control (control normal). Los testiculos fueron procesados para el estudio histologico. En AT1 + PM se observo preservacion de los tubulos seminiferos. BT2 + PM, revelo un numero variable de tubulos seminiferos con necrosis y apoptosis. El grupo de ratas CT3 + PM fue similar a BT2 + PM, aunque un porcentaje ligeramente superior de los tubulos seminiferos mostraron necrosis. En DT4 + PM, los cortes mostraron pocos espermatozoides viables dentro de los tubulos seminiferos. En comparacion con el grupo F torsionado mostro extensas areas de necrosis tubular (F3T3), asi como danos en el intersticio; mientras que en F4T4 no hubo tejido testicular viable. En conclusion, PM previno significativamente cambios celulares y la muerte celular observada, especialmente en el grupo AT1 + PM y BT2 + PM.

Intrasound therapy in tendon healing: is intensity a factor?

Objective This study investigated the effects of low- and high-intensity intrasound therapy (LITR and HITR, respectively) given once daily and twice daily on the morphology and oxidative stress in healing tendon tissue following an acute injury. Methods Eighty-five male rats, randomized into six groups were further subdivided into groups A, B, and C, except for Group 1 which was subdivided into A and B only. Groups 2–6 underwent an induced crush injury. The six groups were allocated to: serve as controls (Group 1), receive no treatment (Group 2), HITR twice daily (Group 3), HITR once daily (Group 4), LITR twice daily (Group 5), and LITR once daily (Group 6). Intrasound therapy (ITR) was commenced 24 hours postinjury and was given once daily or twice daily over the first 14 days postinjury. The animals in subgroups A and B were sacrificed on day 15 postinjury, and those in subgroup C were sacrificed on day 31 postinjury. The tendons were excised, and processed for histology and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay. Results There was no significant difference in the tenocyte population between the HITR- and LITR-treated groups. However, twice-daily treatment in either the low- or high-intensity mode resulted in significant tenocyte proliferation compared with the once-daily treated groups, and also had the highest percentage of tenoblasts compared with the population of tenocytes in the proliferative phase of healing. All treatment protocols marginally lowered the MDA level. Conclusion The role of IRT in tendon healing is influenced more by the frequency of treatment rather than the intensity of the delivered dosage.

Effect of the juice of lime (Citrus aurantifolia) on estrous cycle and ovulation of Sprague-Dawley rats.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of lime juice on the estrous cycle and ovulation of cyclic female rats. METHODS Twenty-five adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The study was divided into 2 experiments (I and II). In experiment I, 15 rats were randomly subclassified into 3 groups (Ia, Ib, and Ic) of 5 rats each. The estrous cycles of the rats were studied for the first 16 days to establish cyclicity, after which lime juice was administered by gastric gavage for the next 24 days. Rats in group Ia received 1 mL of undiluted lime juice, rats in group Ib received 1 mL of 50% diluted lime juice, and rats in group Ic (control animals) received only distilled water. In experiment II, 10 female rats were used and were categorized into 2 groups (IIa and IIb), with 5 rats in each group. Rats in group IIa received 1 mL of undiluted lime juice during the morning of proestrus, and those in group IIb received only distilled water on the day of proestrus. The rats were killed the next day with use of chloroform anesthesia. The upper parts of the oviducts were excised and examined under the light microscope for assessment of the number of ova shed. RESULTS There was an irregular pattern in all phases of the estrous cycle of 100% of the rats given undiluted lime juice and in 80% of those given 50% diluted lime juice. There was a significant (P = .001) reduction in the number of ova shed in rats administered undiluted lime juice in comparison with the control animals. Ovulation was partially blocked, as shown by the reduced number of ova observed in the oviducts from the rats given undiluted lime juice (5.10 +/- 2.37) in comparison with the control rats (12.70 +/- 1.14). CONCLUSION In rats, lime juice causes irregularity of the estrous cycle, partially blocks ovulation, and may possibly compromise fertility.

Quinine inhibits ovulation and produces oxidative stress in the ovary of cyclic Sprague-Dawley rats

Background Quinine has been reported to possess anti-spermatogenic activities. Objectives This study was carried out to determine the effect of quinine on ovarian function in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods Twenty rats with regular 4-days oestrous cycle divided into 4 groups (N=5) were used. Group I received quinine at 30 mg/kg body weight by gavage for 28 days after which they were sacrificed. The ovaries were excised for biochemical oxidation of glutathione peroxidase (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and malondialdehyde (MDA). Group II received single dose quinine at 30 mg/kg body weight at 0900 hrs on day of proestrus. Blood was obtained at 1800 hrs for hormonal assay of FSH and LH. The animals were sacrificed the next morning on estrus: oviducts were examined for ova count. Groups III and IV served as controls. Results Quinine treated rats recorded zero number of ova compared to control. Serum concentration of LH reduced significantly in the quinine treated group compared to the control. Furthermore, quinine significantly decreased the oxidant status of GSH, SOD and catalase and significantly increased MDA levels in the ovary compared to the control group. Conclusion Quinine completely blocks ovulation, suppresses LH surge, and produces oxidative stress in the ovary.

Effect of Pinealectomy and Blindness on Alcohol Induced Testicular Injury

Background: In the Sprague-Dawley rat, bilateral blindness and pinealectomy may affect testicular physiology. Though ethanol is a well known testicular toxicant causing part of its damage through increased lipid Peroxidation, it is not known how the testis in blind or pinealectomized rats will respond to alcohol exposure. Objective: An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of ethanol on the testicular lipid Peroxidation and semen parameters in pinealectomized and blind rats. Materials and methods: Seventy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 180-200g were divided into six groups. Group 1(n=10) were intact animals given 1.5ml of normal saline twice per week; group II (n=12) had 2g/kg body weight of 7.5% ethanol orally twice per week. Groups III (n=12) and IV (n=12) had unilateral (left side) and bilateral optic enucleation respectively under sodium pentothal anaesthesia. Twenty-four hours after operation, the rats were commenced on the same dose of ethanol. Groups V and VI (n=12) had sham pinealectomy and pinealectomy respectively and in addition given the same dose of ethanol. After 6 weeks, animals were sacrificed by decapitation and testes collected for estimation of testicular weight, sperm count, sperm motility, testicular malondialdehyde (MDA) and histology. Results: There was a significant decrease in testicular weight, sperm count and motility in all groups compared to the control (p Keywords : Pineal gland, Pinealectomy, Blindness, Malondialdehyde, Lipid Peroxidation NQJHM Vol. 16 (3) 2006: pp. 97-101