Antifertility Effects of Ficus sycomorus Aqueous Leaf Extract on Pituitary Gonadal Axis of Adult Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

Hormonal regulation, is an important factor affecting fertility. Alteration of hormones at any level of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis may affect the fertility outcome observed. Ficus sycomorus (F. sycomorus), known to have a number of medicinal uses is yet poorly investigated in fertility studies. For this reason, its aqueous leaf extract was investigated to determine its effects on pituitary histology and pituitary-gonadal axis hormones in male Wistar rats as well as evaluating fecundity in mated female rats. Thirty rats comprising equal numbers of both sexes were randomly divided into three groups (I, II & III) containing ten rats each (n=10/group), five males and five females separated from each other in separate cages throughout the experimental period. Group I served as the control. All the female and control rats were given normal rat feed and water ad libitum. Group II and III male rats in addition to normal rat feed and water were orally treated with 500 mg and 1500 mg/kg body weight daily of Ficus sycomorus aqueous extract, respectively for 60 days. Towards the end of the experimental period, the male rats in each of the three groups were allowed to mate with the untreated females to test for fecundity in the female rats. The male rats were anesthetized with chloroform and sacrificed while the female rats were kept till day 15 of pregnancy before sacrifice to establish pregnancy success rate. Blood was collected from the inferior vena cava of the male rats for hormonal assay while the pituitary gland from the males in the control and treatment groups were dissected out and fixed in 10 % formal saline. The tissues were processed for routine histological examination with hematoxylin and eosin staining method for light microscopic examination. Data obtained were expressed as Mean ± SEM. Significant difference between means were determined by t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant difference was expressed as P<0.05. The results from hormonal assay revealed a dose dependent significant decrease in serum testosterone level of the treatment groups, significant increase in FSH, LH and progesterone levels in high dose treatment group and a significant decrease in FSH and estrogen levels in the low dose treatment group. Fecundity test results showed pregnancy success rates of 80 %, 40 % and 0 % for groups I, II and III female rats with an average of 5.6, 2.6 and 0.0 implants, respectively. Histological findings showed cellular hypoplasia in low dose treated rats and cellular hyperplasia in high dose treated rats. It can therefore be concluded that aqueous extract of Ficus sycomorus affected male fertility by altering the hormones of the pituitary-gonadal axis in a dose dependent manner.