AIMS:This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Allium cepa crude extract on cadmium-induced testicular toxicity in rats.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups (n = 6). Group 1 was used as control, group 2 was administered 0.3 mg/kgBW of cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) intraperitoneally for 3 days, group 3 was pretreated with 1 ml/100 g BW of Allium cepa (AcE) for 8 weeks followed by intraperitoneal administration of 0.3 mg/kgBW of CdSO4 in the last 3 days of experiment, and group 4 was administered 1 ml/100 g BW of AcE throughout the experiment. Testicular weight and semen analysis revealing the sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology was carried out. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities, and lipid peroxidation status were also carried out in testes.RESULTS:The study demonstrated that Allium cepa ameliorated CdSO4–induced alteration in testicular weight, sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. It also showed that Allium cepa attenuated the derangement of lipid peroxidation profile in testicular tissues caused by CdSO4 exposure.CONCLUSIONS:The findings in the study showed that pre-treatment of rat model with Allium cepa extract prevented CdSO4–induced reproductive toxicity by improving sperm quality and enhancing testicular lipid peroxidation status.

In this study, the suitability of Agama lizard as a biomarker in assessing environmental pollution levels of arsenium (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was investigated. Samples of top soil and agama lizards were taken from five sites within a university community in Nigeria for the study. Soil samples, livers and kidneys from the lizards were subjected to wet acid digestion and levels of heavy metals in the digested samples were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results of the study showed that the levels of the metals ranged from Cd, 20.4 ± 2.6 μg/g to Zn, 978.6 ± 2.2 μg/g in soil; Cd, not detected to Zn, 42.2 ± 0.3 μg/g in liver; As and Ba, not detected to 47.6 ± 1.0 μg/g Zn in kidney. The inter matrices correlation coefficient values obtained for the heavy metals showed that the kidney of lizards would be more relevant in assessing soil levels of such heavy metals as As, Ba, Cd, Mn and Pb among others.

Modifications of neurobehavioral activities related to single episodes of consumption of different doses of bee honey were examined in rats under conditions of the hole-board (HB) test (to evaluate the level of anxiety) and open-field (OF) test (where the intensities of locomotion, rearing, and grooming were measured). Animals of all subgroups had free access to normal saline, while rats of the three experimental subgroups consumed bee honey in the doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g per 1 kg body mass (in the form of 10, 20, and 40% solutions, respectively). Among the doses tested, only higher ones induced considerable changes in the behavioral indices. The highest dose (2.0 g/kg) provided a more than twofold increase in the number of examined holes in the HB test; in the OF test, it also increased the numbers of crossed squares, rearings and grooming episodes by 30, 37, and 164%, respectively. Thus, our experiments demonstrated rather significant ability of the natural product tested to relieve anxiety and intensify motor, research/orientational, and grooming aspects of behavior even upon single acts of consumption. Possible neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the behavioral modifications observed are discussed.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate is the most commonly used progestin component of hormone therapy. The goal of the present study was to determine whether Medroxyprogesterone affects rat behavior using a Y-maze test. Twenty-four female Wistar rats were randomly selected into three groups; control group, a low dose (13 mg/ml MPA) group and a high dose (33 mg/1 ml MPA) group. Doses of Medroxyprogesterone were delivered by intramuscular injection for a period of 3 weeks. Medroxyprogesterone administration resulted in a decrease in memory and locomotion activity of rats (p < 0.05). Despite Medroxyprogesterone being effective in modulating hormonal interaction to prevent conception in actively reproducing females, cognitive impairment could be one of its adverse effects.

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Male prepubertal (about 4 weeks old) Wistar rats were used to estimate the pain reaction times using the tail-flick and hot-plate models; the testosterone concentration in the blood plasma was measured in all the animals before the tests. The same sets of animals were kept for the next 4 weeks under standard conditions; the experiment was repeated, and pain reaction times were also evaluated in the 8-week-old rats with blood samples collected to determine the plasma testosterone level. The results showed significant (P < 0.01) increases in the pain reaction times in both pain models in pubertal animals observed in a parallel manner with a corresponding significant (P < 0.01) increase in the plasma testosterone level. Therefore, age and sex are important factors in the choice of animals in pain experiments.

The experiment was aimed at investigating the relationship between reduced circulating/endogenous testosterone occasioned by orchiectomy and emotional behavior using the open field test. Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomly selected and classified into two groups: orchiectomized and nonorchiectomized. Orchiectomy was carried out by simple sham surgery. After recovery from orchiectomy, plasma testosterone was determined in both groups after which each animal was observed in the open-field for neurobehavioral activities. The result showed a significant (p <0.05) reduction in plasma testosterone concentration as well as the frequencies of novelty-induced neurobehaviors scored in the open field arena in the orchiectomized group when compared with the nonorchiectomized group. Results indicated that a reduction in circulating testosterone exerts behavioral deficits in orchiectomized animals in the form of fear imposed by exposure to a novel environment resulting in fewer activities. This observation was confirmed by the presence of testosterone receptors in specific brain areas associated with behavioral modulation. We therefore conclude that circulating testosterone could be one of the endogenous mechanisms responsible for coping with fear induced by exposure to a novel environment.

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of an aqueous extract produced from Fadogia agrestis (family Rubiaceae) stem bark were investigated using animal models. Significant dose-dependent increases in the reaction time in the tail-flick test and inhibition of writhing in the visceral pain test (i.p. injections of acetic acid) with P up to < 0.001, when compared with the control, were observed. In an anti-inflammatory investigation, we also found significant dose-dependent inhibitions in the carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton-pellet granuloma tests. The extract in the highest non-sedative dose tested (200 mg/kg) demonstrated a potency comparable with that of a reference analgesic anti-inflammatory drug, acetyl salicylate (Aspirin, 100 mg/kg). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids and saponins in the extract. The relieving effects of Fadogia are probably mediated by the influences of active components of the extract on both central and peripheral nociceptive/ antinociceptive neural mechanisms. Therefore, our investigation explains the rationale behind the ethnomedicinal usage of the mentioned plant to relieve pain and inflammation, as claimed by local users, and shows that further studies of the mechanisms underlying the effects of the remedy tested are expedient.