Hepatic, testicular and spermatozoa antioxidant status in rats chronically treated with Garcinia kolaseed.
BACKGROUND
Garcinia kola seed is commonly used in African Traditional Medicine as a remedy for liver disorders, hepatitis, bronchitis, throat infections as well as an aphrodisiac and fertility enhancing substance. Owing to the abundance of complex mixture of phenolic compounds in Garcinia kola seed, there is a growing safety concern on its long-term use in folklore medicine. The present study evaluated the hepatic, testicular and spermatozoa antioxidant status in rats chronically treated with Garcinia kolaseed.


METHODS
Adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups of 10 rats each and were orally administered with Garcinia kola at 0, 250, 500 and 1000mg/kg for 6consecutive weeks. Clinical observations, serum biochemistry, oxidative stress biomarkers, spermatozoa parameters and histopathological examination of the organs were assessed to monitor treatment-related adverse effects inrats.


RESULTS
Long-term treatment of Garcinia kola had no adverse effect on the spermatozoa characteristics but significantly elevated testosterone concentration when compared to the control group. Improvement of antioxidant systems was accompanied by a significant decrease in malondialdehyde level in the liver, testes and spermatozoa of Garcinia kola-treated rats. Histological observation revealed that chronic administration of Garcinia kola had no effect on the liver and testes at all doses when compared with control.


CONCLUSIONS
Garcinia kola seed boosts the antioxidant status and exhibits no adverse effect on the liver, testes and spermatozoa after a long-term oral exposure inrats.
Drug Metabolism & Toxicology Research Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. olatunde_farombi@yahoo.com
Ebenezer O
EO
Farombi
Isaac A
IA
Adedara
Ayodeji B
AB
Oyenihi
Emmanuel
E
Ekakitie
Samuel
S
Kehinde
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D029763:Garcinia kola; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012639:Seeds; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D028321:Plant Preparations; D013739:Testosterone; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase