IN VITRO STUDY OF THE CONTRACEPTIVE SPERMICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ENSETE SUPERBUM ON HUMAN SPERM

Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the spermicidal and contraceptive efficacy of ethanolic extract of Ensete superbum seeds on human sperm in vitro. Methods: The hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) and the sperm viability test were used to detect the integrity of sperm membrane and vitality. The sperm revival test was also done to check the recovery of the sperm motility. Results: Ensete superbum extract at 100 mg/ml concentration, induced complete immobilization of human spermatozoa and kill 100% spermatozoa within 20s in vitro. The sperm revival test did not show any spermatozoa that recovered their motilities. In the 100 mg/ml extract and N-9 treated groups, the rate of the normal HOS (swollen tails) and the viable sperms (unstained) was 0%, and the rate of the abnormal HOS (unswollen tails) and nonviable sperms (stained) was 100% indicating the plasma membrane degradation of the sperm. Conclusion: The current study indicates that ethanolic seed extract of Ensete superbum possesses appreciable spermicidal potential, which may be explored as an effective vaginal contraceptive

Spermicidal activity of the hexane extract of <i>Piper longum</i>: an <i>in vitro</i> study

<div><p>This study was carried out to assess the spermicidal action of hexane extract from the fruits of <i>Piper longum</i> Linn. The sperm immobilisation studies showed that 20 mg/mL of hexane extract was able to immobilise sperms completely within 20 s. The sperm revival test revealed that the effects were spermicidal as sperm immobilisation effect was irreversible. There was also a significant reduction in sperm viability in the treated group in comparison to the control. The hypo-osmotic swelling of these sperms was significantly reduced, indicating that the hexane extract may probably cause injury to the sperm plasma membrane. Hence, this study showed that the hexane extract of <i>P. longum</i> possesses potential contraceptive spermicidal activity <i>in vitro</i>.</p></div