Fertility effect of Cycas circinalis and Ionidium suffruticosum in male wistar rats

Abstract

Infertility is a major public health concern which imposes a strain on any newlinemarriage. It cannot be treated like other illness due to social stigma and newlineemotional involvements. It often represents the very essence of masculinity and newlinefemininity of the couple. Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to newlineconceive after 12 months of unprotected, regular sexual intercourse. It is newlineestimated to affect 10% to 15% of all couples. To study the fertility effect of Cycas circinalis L. (Cc) and Ionidium newlinesuffruticosum Ging. (Is) on the gonads of young male Wistar rats, senile (old) newlinemale Wistar rats and stress, alcohol, diabetes induced sterile male Wistar rats in newlinecomparison with a positive control and to find out the most effective herb which newlineimproves the fertility in male Wistar rats. newlineThe phytoconstituents such as terpenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, newlinephytosterols, amino acids and alkaloids were found to be present in both the newlineherbs. The GCMS analysis showed 16 bioactive phytoconstituents in C.circinalis newlineand 18 bioactive constituents in I.suffruticosum. The phytoconstituents and newlinesecondary metabolites were known to have some medicinal and physiological newlineactivity. The fertility effect of both the herbs might have been possibly due to the newlinephytosterols, alkaloids and flavonoids. These phytoconstituents were newlinemetabolized and converted to phytosteroids, which results in the androgenic newlineactivity of the male rats. The antioxidant analysis of both the herbs showed that newlineI.suffruticosum has more free radical scavenging activity when compared to newlineC.circinalis. The I.suffruticosum was much more effective in restituting the fertility newlineeffect in sterility induced male rats when compared to C.circinalis possibly due to newlinethe presence of flavonoids and various antioxidants. Further the research will be newlinecarried out in future for isolating the specific phytoconstituents responsible for newlinefertility effect. newline