title: Male contraceptive efficacy of Ricinus communis L. extract.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ricinus communis L. (Rc), of Euphorbiaceae family is a widespread plant in tropical regions and it is used in traditional medicines as an antifertility agent in India and different parts of the world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study is to revalidate the ethnobotanical knowledge by evaluating the activity of only crude stem bark extracts of Rc. In this study, effects of extracts on male contraceptive efficacy were experimented in vitro with human sperm sample. The work is based on primordial and contemporary therapeutic uses of this plant.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, dose of petroleum ether extract, ethyl acetate extract, acetone extract and lyophilised aqueous extract of Rc were added to fresh human semen in 1:1 volumetric ratio. As the aqueous extract showed a promising result in 1:1 ratio, therefore, the Hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOS), Nuclear chromatin decondensation test (NCD) and Acrosomal status and function test (AFT) were also carried out with the aqueous extract of Rc.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sperm immobilisation effects of the extract appeared immediately in a dose-dependent manner when the samples were treated with four different extracts of this plant. At a concentration of 100mg/mL, 100% (p<0.001 and p<0.05) sperms lost their progressive motility. At a concentration of 300 mg/mL, 100% (p<0.001 and p<0.05) became immotile when treated with aqueous extract. There was 88% (p<0.001 and p<0.05) morphological deformities in sperm sample due the effect of aqueous extract when they were tested for HOS and 91% (p<0.05) sperms behaved against NCD as compared to control group. Also there was a distinct decline (p<0.05) in AFT with increase in dosage concentration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the study revealed that aqueous stem bark extract of the plant showed dose dependent loss of sperm motility by influencing the morphological deformation, blockage in nuclear envelope and distinct declination in acrosomal status of spermatozoa. This research, thus, opens up scope for future exploration of bark of the plant as commercial source of new male contraceptive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar, Assam 788011, India.
authors.forename: Sushmita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nath
authors.forename: Manabendra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dutta Choudhury
authors.forename: Shubhadeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roychoudhury
authors.forename: Anupam Das
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Talukdar
authors.forename: Man Mohan
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Misro
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003272:Contraceptive Agents, Male / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry; D012278:Ricinus / Q000737:chemistry*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003272:Contraceptive Agents, Male; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Male contraception; Ricinus communis L.; Sperm; Traditional medicine