Eugenol reduces serum testosterone levels and sperm viability in adult Wistar rats.

Eugenol is the main constituent of clove extract. It is a remarkably versatile molecule incorporated as a functional ingredient in several food products and widely applied in the pharmaceutical industry. Men consume natural products enriched with eugenol for treating sexual disorders and using as aphrodisiacs. Nevertheless, there is no information about the impact of eugenol intake on the reproductive parameters of healthy males. Therefore, we provided 10, 20, and 40 mg kg-1 pure eugenol to adult Wistar rats for 60 days. Testis, epididymis, and spermatozoa were analyzed under microscopic, biochemical, and functional approaches. This phenolic compound did not alter testicular and epididymal biometry and microscopy. However, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol reduced serum testosterone levels. The highest dose altered lactate and glucose concentrations in the epididymis. All the eugenol concentrations diminished CAT activity and MDA levels in the testis and increased FRAP and CAT activity in the epididymis. Epididymal sperm from rats receiving 10, 20, and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol presented high Ca2+ ATPase activity and low motility. In conclusion, eugenol at low and high doses negatively impacted the competence of epididymal sperm and modified oxidative parameters in male organs, with no influence on their microscopy.

High doses of eugenol cause structural and functional damage to the rat liver.

Eugenol is a phenolic compound found in clove extract and extensively used in traditional medicine. It is unclear whether its intake can cause positive or negative effects on liver morphology and physiology in healthy individuals. Thus, we aimed to evaluate liver parameters of rats treated with 10, 20, and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol. After 60 days of treatment, liver samples were collected and analyzed by biometric, histological, biochemical, and oxidative analyses. Our results showed that 10, 20, and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol did not alter body and liver weights, serum and hepatic ALT levels and catalase, glutathione-s-transferase, total, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ATPases activities in treated animals. However, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol reduced Na+/K+ ATPase pump activity and blood glucose levels. They also increased hepatic glycogen content, superoxide dismutase activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels. Still, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 eugenol caused structural and functional damage to the liver tissue of eugenol-treated rats. We concluded that 10 mg kg-1 eugenol is a safe dose for consumption in long-term treatment for rats. Doses higher than 20 mg kg-1 lead to hepatic damage that can impair vital processes of liver functionality.