Therapeutic and fertility restoration effects of Ionidium suffruticosum on sub-fertile male albino Wistar rats: effects on testis and caudal spermatozoa.
BACKGROUND
Ionidium suffruticosum (L.) Ging (Violaceae) is an important medicinal plant widely used as a herbal traditional medicine in Ayurveda for the treatment of infertility. Currently, little pharmacological information is available on its male fertility properties following prolonged use.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate I. suffruticosum leaf extracts for male fertility parameters.


METHODS
The ethanol lyophilized fraction was administered orally on carbendazim-induced sub-fertility rats (250 mg/kg body weight for 28 days). The effects of fractions on rat's fertility parameters i.e., body and testes weight, sperm motility, sperm vitality, epididymal sperm counts, its morphology, enzyme and antioxidant stress and histopathology were studied and compared with clomiphene citrate.


RESULTS
The sub-fertile male rats treated with I. suffruticosum leaf extract increased the body weight of 7 g, testis weight of 97 mg, increased cauda epididymal sperm counts of 34.2 × 106sperm/mL, motility of sperm 46% and vitality 28% also increased and normal sperm morphology also improved up to 32%. The carbendazim-treated group showed loss in body weight of 33 g, testis weight of 851 mg, decreased epididymal sperm counts of 15 × 106sperm/mL, with sluggish motility and a highly significant fall in the live sperms of about 57%.


CONCLUSIONS
The leaf fraction of I. suffructicosum increased the testicular weight, spermatogenesis, sperm counts, lessened sperm agglutination, and increased testicular oxidative biomarkers, SOD, and CAT. This study therefore supports the usage of I. suffructicosum in traditional medicine for infertility.
a Department of Zoology , Bharathiar University , Coimbatore , India.
Kuppusamy
K
Chenniappan
a Department of Zoology , Bharathiar University , Coimbatore , India.
Kadarkari
K
Murugan
D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000633:toxicity; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002219:Carbamates / Q000633:toxicity; D004822:Epididymis / Q000187:drug effects*; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects*; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D029649:Violaceae
D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002219:Carbamates; D010936:Plant Extracts; C006698:carbendazim
Male reproduction; catalase; epididymal sperm; malondialdehyde; sperm motility; spermatogenesis; superoxide dismutase