Gonadal Histo-Morphology and Antifertility Effects of Bonny Light Crude Oil in Male Rats

The study investigated the antifertility effects of ingestion of Bonny Light Crude Oil (BLCO) at a dose of 0.5, 1.5 2.5 and 3.5ml/kg body weight in adult male rats following oral administration for 60days. The animals were sacrificed, the epididymal spermatozoa expressed out and a homogenate made for semen analysis. The testes were removed for histological processing. The sperm count was significantly reduced (21.80±0.57, 19.00±0.85, 16.20±0.00 and 12.90±0.99 million/ml respectively) when compared to their corresponding control groups 26.30±1.27, 25.50±0.71, 26.70±2.69, and 25.60±0.57 million/ml) at P?0.05. Degenerative and necrotic changes of cells in the seminiferous tubules and interstitium  was observed in the histology of the testes. BLCO has adverse effects on male reproductive system. This may imply possible antifertility for male rats exposed to BLCO ingestion. Keywords: Bonny light crude oil, testes, antifertility, male ra

Effect of Combined Leaf Extracts of Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter Leaf) and Gongronema latifolium (Utazi) on the Pancreatic beta-Cells of Streptozotocin- Induced Diabetic Rats

The study evaluated the effect of combined extracts of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) and Gongronema latifolium (GL) on the pancreas of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic Wistar rats. Thirty-two (32) albino rats were divided equally into 4 groups. Groups A and B which served as normal (NC) and diabetic (DC) controls respectively, received placebo treatment. The diabetic test groups C and D were respectively treated with combined extracts of VA and GL (200mg/kg b. w., p. o.) and insulin, (humulin 5 IU/kg, s.c.) for 28 days. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed and blood and pancreas were collected for serum glucose and histological evaluation, respectively. Changes in animal weight were also measured within the period. From the results it was revealed that both the combined extracts and humulin significantly increased the animals’ body weight (p<0.05) from -10.5% reduction in the DC, to 7.6% and 8.9% respectively. In the same order, serum glucose significantly decreased (p<0.05) by 12.49% and 14.96% after the 28-day treatment compared to DC. The extent of reversal of hyperglycemia in the extract treated animals compared well with the insulin treated group. The biochemical results were corroborated with results of histological evaluations: The pancreatic β-cells of DC animals which were distorted and degenerated with shrunken cell mass as against prominent islet cells with normal exocrine pancreas of NC animals became rapidly proliferated upon intervention with the combined extracts, suggesting a possible regeneration of the islet cells. On the otherhand, intervention with humulin did not produce observable differences in the cyto-architecture of the pancreatic islets compared to the diabetic control, confirming an extra-pancreatic mechanism of insulin

Gonadal histo-morphologies and serum hormonal milieu in female rats treated with azadirachta indica leaf extract

Background: azadirachta indica is a tree with most of the parts having various medicinal values. It is however popular because of its high potencies, as antimalarial and anti-fertility agents, which the locals still exploit. Objective: We investigated the effect of the methanol leaf extract on the serum levels of the pituitary-gonad hormones and the histo-morphology of the ovary and uterus of adult female rats. Materials and Methods: Eighteen adult female Wistar rats were divided into three groups (A, B and C) of six animals each. Group A was the control group that received distilled water orally, while groups B and C were the experimental groups that received 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of the extract respectively by oral intubation for fourteen days. The animals were sacrificed on the fifteenth day, and blood was collected from the left ventricles of the hearts and subsequently spurned in heparinized bottles for serum hormonal assay. The ovaries and the uteri were then dissected out and preserved in Bouin’s fluid. Routine haematoxylin and eosin method was used to stain them. Results: There were significant (p<0.0001) lower serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the treatment groups, especially in the 400mg/kg group, while there were significant (p<0.0001) higher progesterone (PH) levels in the treatment groups. The follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were however not different (p=0.0502) from the control. The histo-morphologic studies revealed no obvious pathological changes in the ovaries and uteri of the treatment groups. Conclusion: 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of methanol extract of the leaf of A. indica does not have any obvious effect on the histo-morphologies of the ovary and uterus, but showed significant changes in the serum levels of LH and PH of female Wistar rat, implying that the effect of the extract may have been at a level other than these organs of study