To investigate the effects of Zingiber Officinale on male reproductive functions and study the mechanisms underlying these effects, aqueous extract of Zingiber Officinale were administered orally to two groups of male rats at 500mg/kg b.w. and 1000mg/kg b.w. A third group served as control and received the treatment vehicle, distilled water. Treatment lasted for 14 and 28 days before sacrifice. Organ weight, epididymal sperm counts, motility, viability and morphology, seminal fructose, testicular malonhydialdehyde, and serum testosterone were determined. The treatment caused a significant increase (P<0.05) in the weight of the testis and epididymis. There were dose and duration dependent increases in sperm count and motility (P<0.05). There was also a significant increase (P<0.05) in serum testosterone level. Malonhydialdehyde levels were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Our results indicated that extract of Zingiber Officinale possesses pro-fertility properties in male rats which might be a product of both its potent antioxidant properties and androgenic activities.

Ripe and unripe tomatoes have been implicated in prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer probably due to their antioxidant, antibiotic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Problem statement: This study was designed to investigate whether ripe and unripe tomatoes will have hypoglycaemic effect in a chronic disease such as diabetes mellitus that has been characterized with hyperglycaemia. Approach: Twenty albino Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (2 control and 2 test groups) of 5 rats each. The normal and diabetic control groups were given citrate buffer (intraperitoneally) and normal rat chow and 65 mg kg −1 streptozotocin (intraperitoneally) and normal rat chow respectively. The test groups were given 65 mg kg −1 streptozotocin via intraperitoneal route and either a mixture of ripe or unripe tomato and normal rat chow. In all groups, the blood samples were obtained at the tail vein of the animals and the fasting blood glucose level were monitored and determined on the 1st, 3rd and 14th day of consumption of different feed combinations. Results: There was significant difference in blood glucose level in animals fed on ripe and unripe Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) compared to the normal and diabetic control groups on the 3rd and 14th day without significant difference on the 1st day. Conclusion: Both high-lycopene ripe tomato and high-tomatine unripe tomato have hypoglycaemic effect in diabetic mellitus at short period of dietary intake therefore this suggest that consumers may benefit by not only eating high-lycopene ripe tomatoes, but also hightomatine unripe tomatoes.

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The effect of aqueous stem bark extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus on the histochemical and histomorphologic changes in the rat ovaries using PAS and Hematoxylin and eosin for light microscopy was studied in twentyfour (n=24) young adult wistar strain rat. Four experimental groups were assigned and received an extract concentration of 600mg/kg, 400mg/kg, and 200mg/kg as groups IV, III and II, while the control group (I) received distilled water, for the period of six (6) weeks. The histological slides of the ovaries showed no gross or histological changes as a result of the extract administration. The granulosa cells in the ovarian cortex indicate a PAS-positive reaction, thus confirming the accumulation of glycogen in the tissue as a result of the extract administration. The microscopic sections of the ovaries indicated that the extract does have an effect on folliculogenesis in a dose dependent pattern. There was a significant decrease in the number of primary and tertiary follicles observed in the high dose group IV (600mg/kg), and a significant increase in the number of primary follicle in group II (400mg/kg), compared with the control group (p<0.05). The study concluded that the stem bark extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus extract does have an effect on follicular dynamics.