Exacerbative Effect of Paullinia pinnata Methanol Leaf Extract on Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-Induced Testicular Dysfunction in Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

Paullinia pinnata (PP) is a medicinal plant whose parts are used for medicinal purposes traditionally in the treatment of various diseases including malaria, diarrhea and to help infertility which is currently a scourge globally. This study is designed to investigate the chemopreventive potential of P. pinnata leaves against gonadotoxicity using ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME)-induced testicular dysfunction as the experimental model. Sixty adult male Wistar rats were weight-matched into six groups of ten animals each. All administrations were done orally daily for twenty-one consecutive days as follows: Group I(control) – distilled water; Group II – 1.5 ml/kg body weight of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle); Group III- 200 mg/kg EGME; Group IV- 200 mg/kg PP; Group V- EGME (200 mg/kg ) + PP (100 mg/kg) and Group VI- EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (200 mg/kg). On day 22, blood was collected for the analysis of the reproductive hormones. The rats were euthanized and the brain, testes and epididymes were excised. The spermatozoa analysis, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays, and histological examination were carried out appropriately. The plasma concentration of luteinizing hormone was significantly increased in the co-administered groups while the plasma testosterone concentration was decreased. The spermatozoa parameters including testicular spermatozoa count were reduced in the EGME, EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (100 mg/kg) and EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (200 mg/kg) groups. Antioxidant parameters including catalase and glutathione-S-transferase were affected in the testes and brain in the EGME, EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (100 mg/kg) and EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (200 mg/kg) groups. The inflammatory markers were also elevated in the epididymis and testis of the EGME, EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (100 mg/kg) and EGME (200 mg/kg) + PP (200 mg/kg) groups. The results were complemented by the histological observations. Paullinia pinnata leaves lack chemopreventive potential against Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether- induced gonadotoxicity rather, it exacerbates the deleterious effects.