Effect of Different Parts of Acacia Nilotica on Serum Testosterone Levels in Male Rabbits

¹Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, Karachi.

Corresponding author: Ishrat Younus, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, Karachi. Email: [email protected]

Received: August 01, 2021

Published: December 29, 2021

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Herbal contraceptives are used in Africa and Pacific Asia including China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh but scientific data on their safety and efficacy are not well established. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of different parts of Acacia nilotica on serum testosterone levels in adult male rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Material and Methods: Forty-five sexually mature male rabbits were grouped in nine groups, having five rabbits in each group. Rabbits of Group I (b), I (f), I (l) and I (p) were administered prepared Aqueous extracts of Acacia nilotica bark, flower, leaves and pods at daily oral doses of 400 mg kg^-1  of body weight, while rabbits in Group II (b), II (f), II (l) and II (p) were given daily oral doses of 400 mg kg^-1  of  75% Ethanolic bark, flower, leaves and pods extracts of Acacia nilotica, up to eight weeks. Serum testosterone levels were tested following baseline, a second, fourth, sixth and eighth week of treatment. Results: Significant decrease in the serum testosterone levels was seen in Group I (p) in which the rabbits were administered an aqueous extract of Acacia nilotica pods (p < 0.05).  Conclusion: It is concluded that administration of 400 mg kg^-1  daily oral doses of aqueous pods extract of Acacia nilotica affect male fertility in the rabbit model via a severe decrease in the serum testosterone levels.

KEYWORDS: Acacia nilotica, bark, flowers, leaves, pods, serum testosterone, male rabbits