Semen characteristics and testicular biometry of Swiss albino mice treated with water soluble fractions of spent engine oil

Contamination of soil and underlying groundwater with spent engine oil from automobile workshops and garages has serious ecological problems affecting plants and animals. The spermatotoxic potential of spent engine oil (SEO) was investigated using 24 adult male Swiss albino mice having mean weight of 24.67±0.2 g for 30 days. The mice were divided into 4 groups A, B, C, D of six mice each. Group A (control) was treated orally with distilled water, B (100% water soluble fractions (WSF) of spent engine oil), C (10% water soluble fractions (WSF) of spent engine oil) and D (1% water soluble fractions (WSF) of spent engine oil). It was observed that the mean percentage sperm motility, viability and sperm count of the treated groups B, C, and D decreased compared to the control, although the differences were not significant (p>0.05). This same trend was observed for the morphologically abnormal sperm cells of mice in the treated groups compared to the control. It was concluded in this study that treatment with water soluble fractions of spent engine oil for 30 days had no negative effect on the semen characteristics and testicular biometry of Swiss albino mice.© 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reservedKeywords: Mice, semen, spent engine oil, teste

Spermatotoxicity and testicular pathology in Wistar strain rats fed graded levels of pigeon pea diet

Summary: Pigeon pea is an important grain legume in the tropics and subtropics and it is a valuable source of low-cost plant protein for humans and animals, but it remains an underutilized legume. Effects of feeding graded levels of raw pigeon pea seed inclusion diets on testicular function in Wistar rats was investigated. Thirty male Wistar rats weighing between 120 and 160 g were assigned into six groups (A-F) of 5 rats each. Group A rats served as the control and were fed with standard rat feed, Group B was fed with 10% pigeon pea inclusion diet, group C: 20% pigeon pea inclusion diet, Group D: 30% pigeon pea inclusion diet, Group E: 40% pigeon pea inclusion diet and Group F: 100% pigeon pea diet. Each rat received 30 g of feeds per day for 21 days with drinking water ad libitum. All analyses were carried out using standard methods. The motility scores were between 34.00±2.45 and 87.00±3.00 with the control group A having the significantly highest score (P<0.05) compared to the other groups. Group B rats had a significantly higher (P<0.05) values of (76.00±6.96) than groups C, D, E, and F while groups D, E and F were lower than normal range. This same trend was observed for the sperm viability and count across the groups. No lesion was observed in the testicular histology of rats in groups A, B, and D. The testis of rats in group C showed marked expansion of the interstitium by oedema, while the testis of group E rats showed immature germ cells in the seminiferous tubular lumen and the testis of group F rats revealed slightly reduced germinal depth. It was concluded in this study that feeding of pigeon pea seed diet to rats beyond 20% inclusion level is spermatotoxic having severe adverse effects on the sperm motility, viability and count and caused some testicular lesions. However, unprocessed pigeon pea must be incorporated with caution into animal feeds, especially the male animals used for breeding.Keywords: Semen, Testes, Pigeon pea, Wistar rats, Motility, Histolog

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Studies of Crateva adansonii Leaf Extract

Diverse challenges of microbial infections and upsurge of multi-drug resistant microbes informed the investigation into the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of Crateva adansonii. Cold extraction was carried out using methanol solvent. The crude extract of Crateva adansonii was fractionated into the n-hexane, methanol and chloroform layers successively. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides. The antimicrobial assay showed that, for Bacillus spp, the organism was sensitive to the chloroform fraction of leaf extract at 1.562 mg/ml. For Microccocus varians, result showed organism was sensitive to the crude extract at 3.125 mg/ml. According to the result of antifungal screening, the n-hexane fraction and crude extract showed activity against Aspergillus niger at 12.500 mg/ml and 3.125 mg/ml respectively. From these results, the crude extract of the leaf of Crateva adansonii shows activity against both bacteria and Fungi; hence, it may might be a good source of new drug for treating infections caused by these pathogens

The age at puberty of the Nigerian local dogs in Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria

No AbstractKeywords: age, epididymus, Nigerian local dog, testes, testosteron

Fertility potential of male albino rats (Wistar strain) treated with penicillin-streptomycin combination

The fertility potential of male albino rats (wistar strain) treated with penicillin- treptomycin combination (PSC) was studied. Thirty apparently healthy male albino rats weighing between 150 and 160g were grouped into three (A-C) n=10. Group A received therapeutic (normal) dose 0.02ml and B received hyper-therapeutic dose (hyper-dose) 0.04ml of PSC intra-peritoneally for 7 days, respectively. Rats in group C were given feed and water serving as control within the same period after which 5 animals were randomly selected from each group A, B and C and were sacrificed. Semen samples were collected to study changes in sperm motility, liveability, morphological characteristics, and blood for haematology and serum testosterone profile. The remaining five animals in each group were given water and feed for another 7 days to check for recovery. There was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the sperm motility of group B rats at 7 days post-treatment with hyper-dose of PSC and the total sperm abnormalities was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the same group of rats compared to A and C. There was no significant changes (p>0.05) occurred in the blood parameters across the groups, however the serum testosterone profile and sperm liveability of groups A and B rats were significantly higher at 7 days post recovery than the values obtained at 7 days post- treatment with PSC. It was concluded that Penicillin-streptomycin administration in rats at both therapeutic and hyper-therapeutic doses for 7 days had a negative effects on their sperm motility, liveability, morphological characteristics and testosterone profile, thereby reduced the fertility potentials of wistar strain albino rats. Therefore, caution must be taken in its use for animals and prolonged administration should be discouraged

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Studies of Crateva adansonii Leaf Extract

Diverse challenges of microbial infections and upsurge of multi-drug resistant microbes informed the investigation into the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of Crateva adansonii. Cold extraction was carried out using methanol solvent. The crude extract of Crateva adansonii was fractionated into the n-hexane, methanol and chloroform layers successively. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides. The antimicrobial assay showed that, for Bacillus spp, the organism was sensitive to the chloroform fraction of leaf extract at 1.562 mg/ml. For Microccocus varians, result showed organism was sensitive to the crude extract at 3.125 mg/ml. According to the result of antifungal screening, the n-hexane fraction and crude extract showed activity against Aspergillus niger at 12.500 mg/ml and 3.125 mg/ml respectively. From these results, the crude extract of the leaf of Crateva adansonii shows activity against both bacteria and Fungi; hence, it may might be a good source of new drug for treating infections caused by these pathogens

The exploitation of orphan legumes for food, income, and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa

Open Access Journal; Published online: 17 May 2022Poverty, food, and nutrition insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have become major concerns in recent times. The effects of climate change, drought, and unpredictable rainfall patterns threaten food production and sustainable agriculture. More so, insurgency, youth restiveness, and politico-economic instability amidst a burgeoning population requiring a sufficient and healthy diet remain front-burner issues in the region. Overdependence on only a few major staple crops is increasingly promoting the near extinction of many crops, especially orphan legumes, which possess immense potentials as protein and nutritional security crops. The major staple crops are declining in yield partly to their inability to adapt to the continuously changing climatic conditions. Remarkably, the orphan legumes are climate-smart crops with enormous agronomic features which foster sustainable livelihood. Research efforts on these crops have not attained a reasonable comparative status with most commercial crops. Though many research organizations and scientists have made efforts to promote the improvement and utilization of these orphan legumes, there is still more to be done. These legumes’ vast genetic resources and economic utility are grossly under-exploited, but their values and promising impacts are immeasurable. Given the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) of zero hunger, improved nutrition, health, and sustainable agriculture, the need to introduce these crops into food systems in SSA and other poverty-prone regions of the world is now more compelling than ever. This review unveils inherent values in orphan legumes needing focus for exploitation viz-a-viz cultivation, commercialization, and social acceptance. More so, this article discusses some of the nutraceutical potentials of the orphan legumes, their global adaptability, and modern plant breeding strategies that could be deployed to develop superior phenotypes to enrich the landraces. Advanced omics technologies, speed breeding, as well as the application of genome editing techniques, could significantly enhance the genetic improvement of these useful but underutilized legumes. Efforts made in this regard and the challenges of these approaches were also discussed