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The present study explored the effect of virgin coconut oil on oxidative stress, testosterone and gonadotropic hormones in alcohol-induced testicular injury. Twenty-five male rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups (n=5). The oil was processed from the mature endosperm of coconut and administered at 6.7 ml/kg body weight, while alcohol was given orally at 7 ml/kg body weight. After sacrifice, testicular malondialdehyde and serum hormone levels were determined. Testicular malondialdehyde levels increased significantly in animals treated with alcohol alone (p < 0.001), and animals treated with alcohol following virgin coconut oil treatment (p < 0.05) while the other groups showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) when compared with the control. However, when compared with the group treated with alcohol alone, all the other groups showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in testicular malondialdehyde level. Serum testosterone levels increased significantly (p < 0.05) in rats treated with virgin coconut oil when compared with the alcohol-only treated group, while serum FSH and LH levels were not significantly different from the control values in all the treatment groups. Virgin coconut oil effectively lowered alcohol-induced oxidative stress by reducing testicular malondialdehyde levels and ameliorated the deleterious effect of alcohol on serum testosterone level, but showed no effect on serum FSH and LH levels.

Combretum racemosum (P. Beauv.) (Combretaceae), a straggling shrub widespread across Africa is traditionally reputed to be anthelmintic and antimicrobial for genito-urinary and gastrointestinal infections. The methanol and ethyl acetate crude extracts obtained from the whole plant were evaluated invital to determine inhibition of human pathogenic micro organisms made up of five bacteria and three fungi. The extracts inhibited the eight test organisms to different degrees. All the bacteria strains were sensitive to both extracts at concentration ranging from 25 to 125 mg/ml using the agar broth cup diffusion procedure. The sensitivity of Salmonella typhii, Escherica coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram negative) to both extracts were not concentration dependent, whereas sensitivity of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (gram positive) were concentration dependent with activity being higher at higher concentrations of ethyl acetate extract. Only the methanol extract exhibited intrinsic antifungal properties on Candida albicans, Asperigillus niger and Dermatophyte sp. with activity comparable to that of the reference drug tioconazole trosyd. Preliminary phytochemical screening of both extracts indicated the presence of alkaloids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, saponins and tannins.

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BackgroundAvailable evidence suggests that 50% of couples with infertility are male related. Over 40% of these males consume alcohol which has been reported to be a reproductive toxicant causing depletions in the epithelium of seminiferous tubules hence reducing sperm counts and sperm morphology.ObjectiveTo determine the effects of aqueous leaf extract of Telfairia occidentalis on alcohol-induced cyto-architectural changes in the testis.MethodsAqueous leaf extract of Telfairia occidentalis (T. occidentalis) was administered by gastric gavage at a dose of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight daily, while 2 g/kg body weight of ethanol at 30% v/v was administered daily to mature male Sprague–Dawley rats. The experiment was in 2 phases. Phase 1 had groups A1–F1 and lasted for 4 weeks while phase 2 had groups A2–F2 and lasted 8 weeks. Parameters tested include: testicular histology, relative volume density, sperm parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione.ResultsIn both phases, there were depletions in the seminiferous epithelium, decreased sperm quality and increased MDA and SOD in animals that received alcohol only compared to control. Likewise, a significant increase of seminiferous epithelium of animals that received respective doses of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of T. occidentalis only compared to control. Animals that received T. occidentalis and alcohol simultaneously had a significant increase in seminiferous epithelium and sperm quality with decreased MDA level.ConclusionT. occidentalis attenuated the deleterious effects of alcohol to the cyto-architecture of the testis, protected the seminiferous epithelium, reduced oxidative stress and promoted spermatogenesis.

HighlightsNaringenin and Quercetin decrease ROS and potentiate enzymatic antioxidant production in the hippocampus.cART induced marked cytoplasmic shrinkage and several pyknotic nuclei in the dentate gyrus and cornus ammonis region.Naringenin and Quercetin attenuates cART-induced upregulation of monoamine oxidase-B expression in neurons.Naringenin and Quercetin also ameliorates cART-induced spatial memory impairments.Naringenin and Quercetin acted as effective antioxidants in vivo against cART-induced neurotoxicity.

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