Attenuation of Potassium Bromate-induced Infertility by African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Seed

Background: Parkia biglobosa seed has been reported to enhance sperm quality. Thus, this study sought to assess its ability in attenuating KBrO3-induced sperm abnormalities.

Methodology: P. biglobosa was extracted with soxhlet extractor with 95% ethanol as the solvent. Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were acclimatized under laboratory conditions and were randomly grouped into A, B, C and D. Group A was given distilled water orally. Animals in groups B, C and D were administered 100 mg/kg body weight of potassium bromate, but groups C and D were also treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of P. biglobosa respectively. Both potassium bromate and P. biglobosa were freshly prepared on daily basis and administered to rats by oral gavage. After 28 days of treatment, the animals were sacrificed under mild diethyl ether anaesthetization 24 hours after cessation of the last treatment. The cauda epididymis were separated from both testes and tinged with 2 mL of normal saline then teased. The suspension was mixed through a metallic net to avoid any other tissue contamination. This suspension was used for the determination of the sperm parameters.

Results: Exposure of animals to 100 mg/kg body weight of KBrO3 significantly reduced sperm count, sperm motility, sperm viability and seminal pH but elevated sperm morphology when compared with animals in the control group at p<0.05. These perturbations were attenuated by 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of P. biglobosa seed extract in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion: The result of this study showed that potassium bromate induced abnormalities in sperm cells of treated animals, and seed extract of P. biglobosa attenuated these abnormalities in a dose-dependent manner. This pharmacological study is a useful tool for further drug development from the natural plant products.