Spermicidal and antioxidant potency of Solanum macrocarpon L. (African eggplant) leaf ethanol extract in albino rats

AbstractOxidative processes give rise to reactive oxygen species/oxidants which are detrimental to living cells and underlie many pathologic conditions. On the other hand, many plant species possess antioxidant properties and phytochemicals which are closely linked to their therapeutic potentials.Solanum macrocarpon is a tropical plant which is traditionally claimed to possess therapeutic properties. Although, antioxidant potentials have been reported for differentSolanum species and antioxidants have been reported to improve sperm morphology and motility; this has not been fully elucidated inS. macrocarpon.  Following a comparative phytochemical and in vitro antioxidant screening ofS. macrocarpon fruit, leaf and root ethanol extracts, this study evaluated the effect ofS. macrocarpon leaf ethanol extract (SMLE) on sperm parameters in vitro and antioxidant enzymes in vivo.  The effect of SMLE on sperm motility and vitality was examined in vitro at concentrations of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/ml at 1, 5 and 10 min’ intervals. Furthermore, thirty male albino rats (10–12 weeks old), separated at random into six groups (A–F,n = 5), and administered SMLE for 42 days, were used to investigate the antioxidant potency (AP) of SMLE in vivo. The phytochemical screening of different parts ofS. macrocarpon revealed that SMLE had the highest (p <  0.05) composition (mg/100 g) of tannins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and saponin compared to fruit and root extracts. Furthe...
Source: Comparative Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research