Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae) Seed Extract Effect on Male Rat Fertility: Sperm Quality and Histomorphological Safety Assessment

Poor sperm quality and morphological abnormalities have been cited as major causes of sperm functional incompetence and infertility. The current study focused on the effects of Persea americana Mill (Lauraceae) seed hydro-methanolic extract (PAS) on sperm quality and histomorphological changes in the reproductive and internal organs of male rats. The rats were assigned into 4 groups of 10 animals per group: control (no treatment and no intervention), and three extract treatment (20, 100 and 500 mg Kg-1) groups. Treatment groups received a pre-assigned oral dose of PAS, once daily for 28 days. Five rats were randomly selected and sacrificed from each group on D27 for multi-parametric assessment, while the rest were used for reversibility analysis on day 14 post drug withdrawal. Sperm quality (count, motility, abnormality) and histomorphological safety of the internal organs (testes, brain, liver and kidney) were evaluated. The results showed a dose-dependent increase (p<0.05) in sperm count, motility, and sperm structural abnormalities. These abnormalities ranged from 1.1% to 3%, compared to the control group. The histopathology of the testes and internal organs showed no untoward effect; however, the liver showed some congestion at lower doses of PAS (20 and 100 mg Kg-1) in the reversibility groups. Partial reversibility was observed in the measured parameters, including the testes weight in reversibility groups. The results revealed that PAS possibly caused a cumulative increase in spermatogenesis and other testicular functions. The extract could be further evaluated for holistic use in the management of male fertility, such as oligospermia and asthenospermia.