Antichnolesterol activity of velvet bean (mucuna pruriens l.)toward hypercholesterolemic rats

Abstract

Global searching for antifertility agents which are safe and effective with minimum side effects remains the big challenge nowadays. Many studies have been conducted to reveal particular compounds in plants that have antifertility effect, but most of them were toxic. Pegaga or Centella asiatica L. is one of the popular herb commonly eaten raw as 'ulam' amongst melayu people. Traditional use ofpegaga has been reported to have antifertility effect on male animal. However, the effect of this medicinal herb has not been completely elucidated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of pegaga (Centella asiatica L.) on male rat testis histology, sperm concentration, sperm motility and serum testosterone level. Thirty two Sprague-Dawley adult male rats twelve weeks old were divided into four groups, i.e. control (distilled water); low dose group (l00 mg/kg body weight); medium dose group (200 mg/kg body weight); and high dose group (300 mg/kg body weight). All treatments were given by force feeding for 42 days. On day 43 rats were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia. Cauda epididymal sperm concentration and motility showed significant decrease while serum testosterone level was reduced compared to control. Treatment in medium and high dose showed the most significant reduction (p<0.05) in sperm concentration. Histologically, testis in control group showed normal features with successive stages of transformation of the seminiferous epithelium into spermatozoa, whereas treated groups showed reduction of spermatozoa in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules. It is concluded that C. asiatica L. showed antispermatogenic and antifertility effects in male rats reproduction. Keywords: Centella asiatica L., sperm concentration, sperm motility, serum testosterone level, testis histology.