RESUMO
Background: Search for an effective, feasible, and safe male contraceptive has been one of the major public health challenges. The present contraceptive methods are either permanent or impractical. Herbal methods are considered safe, and thus, their acceptability is higher than other prospective methods. Aims: In the present study, oral administration of methanolic extract of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub. flower was investigated for its potential role in the modulation of fertility in male albino rats. Materials and methods: Healthy male albino rats were randomly distributed into three groups, i.e., a control and two groups administered with 50 and 500 mg/kg body weight/day of methanolic extract of B. monosperma flower for 30, 90, and 180 days, respectively. Fertility records were maintained throughout the experimental period. At the end of experiment, animals were sacrificed and the weight of reproductive organs, sperm characteristics, and histopathology of testicular and epididymal tissues were evaluated. A 45-day withdrawal period was also investigated for parameters as described above for each group. Results: A 40% decline in fertility rate was evident in rats administered with 500 mg/kg of B. monosperma flower extract for 180 consecutive days. A significant reduction in testicular and epididymal weight was observed in these animals. Sperm count, motility, and viability were also reduced significantly in animals treated for 180 days. Histological evaluation of testicular cells indicated distortions in germ cell arrangements at various stages of spermatogenesis. Following 45 days of withdrawal, the resumption of normal functional and histological characteristics was apparent. Conclusion: Based on the abnormalities present in the sperm characteristics and damages in testicular histology, it was confirmed that methanolic extract of B. monosperma flower contain antifertility potential.
RESUMO
All of us now carry in our bodily tissues a virtual stew of heavy metals and hundreds of synthetic chemicals: persistent ones, which can have a "half-life" in the body of several years; and nonpersistent compounds, which may pass through the body in a matter of hours. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a nonpersistent compound that can alter the reproductive system of laboratory animals even at extremely low exposure levels. This is relevant because BPA is chronically present in our environment with the potential for constant exposure, making it functionally equivalent to a persistent compound. In this review the authors emphasize particular outcomes that occur in response to the relevant dose of BPA exposure that causes developmental effects on reproductive systems, brain and metabolic processes, and the male germ line. At a specific dose level, BPA exposure also shows oxidative toxicity and carcinogenic effects.
