Ethanol Leaf Extract of Cyathula prostrata Enhances Spermatogenesis in Wistar Rats Via Expression of AKAP4, DAZL and PRM2 doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v5i7.24
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Abstract
Cyathula prostrata (Linn.) Blume-a member of the amaranth family-is reportedly used in traditional medicine as a fertility enhancer in males. This work investigated C. prostrata extract effects on the expression of testes-specific genes; deleted in zoospermia-like (DAZL), protamine 2 (PRM2) and A-kinase anchoring protein-4 (AKAP4). Normal adult male Wistar rats (n=48) were sorted into 6 categories of eight animals each. Rats orally received graded doses of prostrata ethanol leaf extract over a 72-day period; control animals received distilled water. Testes of rats were harvested and subjected to histological examination. RNA extracted from animal testes were purified, and the genes amplified using RT-PCR. Semen indices, including count, morphology and motility were assessed using microscopy. C. prostrata extracts improved sperm count and motility in rats, relative to the control. Morphological assessment revealed an increase in the population of normal cells and a decrease in abnormal cell numbers in all treatment groups, compared to the control. DAZL gene exhibited a consistently high expression across all groups. Higher doses of C. prostrata (200-300 mg/kg bw), however, caused a downregulation in the expression of AKAP4 and PRM2 genes. Micrographs of testes from animals showed normal (50 and 100 mg/kg bw groups), enhanced (250 mg/kg bw group) and deleterious (200 and 300 mg/kg bw groups) spermatogenic changes. C. prostrata exhibits a positive effect on spermatogenesis by preserving the expression of testes-specific genes and enhancing count, motility and morphology of sperm cells, thereby suggesting its suitability for use as a fertility enhancer in males.
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