Effects of Cnidoscolus chayamansa on Induced oxidative Stress of Albino Rats Testis

Introduction: Several studies have reported oxidative stress as a crucial factor in male infertility due to its negative effect on spermatogenesis. Hence, this study investigated the mitigating effect of Cnidoscolus chayamansa on the testis of Wistar rats. Method: A total of 12 Albino Rats were shared equally into four groups. Control group was not exposed to irradiation, treatment groups were exposed to whole-body irradiation at low and high dose (75KVPand 115KVP) at a source to target distance of 70cm, 13 exposures each, 3 times in a week. Rats in the treatment group were treated with the equivalent of 1g/kg of body weight with Cnidoscolus chayamansa for ten days and sacrificed. Blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture to evaluate oxidative stress biomarkers and testosterone. Testicular tissues were processed using paraffin wax method. Results: After inducing oxidative stress, testosterone increased from 0.1 to 0.8(ng/mL) for the low dose and 0.1 to 0.6(ng/mL) for high dose. Histology of the testes shows some alterations to the seminiferous tubule, interstitial tissues, and increase in immature spermatocytes. After treatment with extract, oxidative stress biomarkers clearly suggested a reversal of damage. There was an increase in testosterone level from 0.8 to 0.9 (ng/mL) for low dose and 0.6 to 0.8(ng/mL) for high dose while the histology showed improvement in spermatogenesis as indicated with matured sperm cells in the seminiferous tubules. Conclusion: Oxidative stress negatively affect fertility. However, Cnidoscolus chayamansa mitigate testicular damage, offering a cheaper and more available alternative to synthetic antioxidants for mitigating oxidative damage.