Pro-Fertility Evidence of Euphorbia hirta (Euphorbiaceae) Crude Aqueous Extract in Normal Male Albino Rats

According to folk users in Cameroon, about 30 fresh leaves of Euphobia hirta are macerated into 250ml of water and given once a day to an adult male (human) for 21 days to treat fertility deficiencies. Extensive studies available online provide more quantifiable insights into its pharmacological activities and safety profile. In a separate study, we evaluated the copulatory potentials of the aqueous extract of Euphobia hirta in sexually naïve normal albino male rats (article in Press). The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of E. hirta aqueous extract on some reproductive indices including hormonal profile, relative mass of reproductive organs (RMO) and sperm characteristics in normal male albino rats, with the goal of determining its potential as a natural therapeutic agent to enhance male reproductive health. A total of 25 male albino rats aged 12 to 13 weeks and weighing 150 to 200 grams each were sub-divided into 5 groups and treated as follows: rats of groups 1, 2 and 3 were administered 300 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg (EHae1, EHae2 and EHae3) of the plant extract respectively, those of group 4 received 10 ml/kg distilled water, while those of group 5 received sildenafil citrate: Erekta (5mg/kg); these were administered orally using an Oro-pharyngeal cannula once daily, for a period of 52 days. The animals were terminated on day 53 and blood and organs collected for the assessment of hormonal profile, RMO and sperm characteristics. Extract-treated animals recorded a significant increase in plasma testosterone concentration (9.14 ± 2.44, 10.89 ± 1.64, 8.23 ± 1.40 ng/ml for EHae1, EHae2 and EHae3 respectively) compared to that of DW (3.49 ± 0.69) and Erekta (5.39 ± 1.00). Also, EHae3 showed a remarkably low “No head” percentage of 0.38 ± 0.04 compared to DW (2.35 ± 0.69) and Erekta (2.27 ± 0.51). Furthermore, extract-treated rats registered significant values in sperm motility and concentration unlike non-significant values in RMO. Results obtained from our study enables us to say that the aqueous leaf extract of E. hirta enhances fertility in male animals through biosynthesis of reproductive hormones, enhancing sperm motility and by reducing the amount of abnormally formed spermatozoa.