Walnut leaf extract acts as a fertility agent in male Wistar albino rats – A search for herbal male fertility enhancer

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundWalnut leaf is one of the many medicinal plants used in folklore as male fertility enhancers. The present work was therefore undertaken with an aim to scientifically validate this claim. As such, we evaluated the effect of the aqueous extract from walnut leaves on biomolecules related to fertility in adult male rats and its mode of action as fertility-enhancing agent.MethodsTwenty-five rats were randomly divided into five groups of five animals each; Group 1 served as control and received normal (0.9%) saline only; Groups II, III, IV received 50, 500, 1,000 mg/kg body weight (BW) ofT. conophorumleaf extract orally, while Group V served as standard and was given suspension of clomiphene citrate orally at the dose of 1.04 mg/kg/ml BW. The extract and drug were given daily and the experiment lasted for 21 consecutive days.ResultsThe testicular biochemical parameters in treated groups showed significant (p<0.05) increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity activity, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PDH) activity, glycogen content, 3β and 17β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities and testicular and epididymal Zn and Se contents with a significant decrease in cholesterol content. A significant increase in testis weight and epididymis weight were also observed. Also, a significant (p<0.05) increase in the level of serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, sperm count, motility, viability and a decrease in sperm abnormality were observed in the various treated groups when compared with the control group. This increment was concentration dependent, while the extract at the highest concentration showed a more pronounced effect than the standard drug. Also, no sperm DNA fragmentation index was found in all the treatment groups. Photomicrographs from light and scanning electron microscopy showed large fenestrae of interstitial tissue, large fluid space and intact seminiferous epithelium layers fully packed with spermatogenic cells in treated groups than the control group.ConclusionsThe present study has demonstrated thatTetracarpidium conophorumleaf possesses fertility-enhancing property and have useful effects on spermatogenesis and sperm parameters in rats.