Ameliorative Potentials of Bombax costatum Pellegr. & Vuillet Chloroform Stem Bark Extract on Pentylenetetrazole-induced Testicular Damage in Wistar Rats

Abstract

This study was conducted out to find out the ameliorative potentials of Bombax costatum Pellegr. & Vuillet chloroform extract (BCCE) on Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced testicular damage in albino Wistar rats. Eighteen adult rats were randomly allotted into three groups (n=6) after one week of acclimatization. Group one served as a control and was given normal saline. Group two (PTZ only) was given 35mgkg-1 body weight PTZ. Group three received BCCE 250mgkg-1 followed by PTZ 35mgkg-1, the treatments lasted for one week. The rats were euthanized and testicular tissues were processed for histological study, while blood samples were collected and used for the hormonal assay. The interstitial Leydig cells have been disrupted by the PTZ toxicity which resulted in a significant decrease (p<0.05) of testosterone in the PTZ-induced rats as compared with the control group, while there was no significant difference in group three that was given BCCE when compared to the control. Also, there was no significant difference in the luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicles stimulating hormones (FSH) levels in all the rat groups. The histological features showed that PTZ has a deleterious effect on testicular tissues with seminiferous tubule lumen devoid of spermatozoa. The histology of the group that received BCCE 250mgkg-1 shows the lumen of the seminiferous tubules with spermatozoa indicating that BCCE exerts a protective effect against PTZ-induced damage. This suggests that BCCE has an ameliorative effect against PTZ-induced testicular toxicity in rat models.