STUDIES ON SOME ANTIFERTILITY INDICES OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF PAWPAW (Carica papaya) SEEDS AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOME ACROSOMAL ENZYMES OF MALE WISTER ALBINO RATS
STUDIES ON SOME ANTIFERTILITY INDICES OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF PAWPAW (Carica papaya) SEEDS AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOME ACROSOMAL ENZYMES OF MALE WISTER ALBINO RATS
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Date
2011-10
Authors
ONAOLAPO, MARY ADEROJU OLALONPE
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Abstract
The antifertility properties of Carica papaya seeds were investigated on the serum
biochemistry, haematological profile and the testicular function of 90 male wister
albino rats. Treatment of male albino rats orally with the crude and the
chromatographic chloroform fraction of the aqueous extract of Carica papaya
seeds led to reduced sperm counts, low percentage live sperm and reduction in
percentage normal sperm. These effects were more pronounced with the animals
treated with 200mg/kg body weight for both crude and the partially purified
extract. In all these investigations, the weights of the animals, haematology and
serum clinical chemistry and were not adversely affected. It was also observed that
there was an unaltered serum testosterone level. The present study has added to
earlier findings on the crude and partially purified seed extract by testing the
effects on sialic acid and acrosomal enzymes namely acrosin and hyaluronidase
levels. The 200mg/kg body weight dosage showed pronounced reductions for sialic
acid, hyaluronidase and acrosin values after three weeks and one week treatment
with the crude aqueous and partially purified extract of Carica papaya seeds
respectively. Therefore it may be concluded that the aqueous extract of Carica
papaya seeds possesses a great potential as a male antifertility agent. However, the
extract may not be absolutely safe because it brought about increased percentage of
sperm defects, caused cellular infiltration in testes, epididymis, liver and kidney.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF
POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY,
ZARIA, NIGERIA, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY (PhD) IN BIOCHEMISTRY.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA.
Keywords
STUDIES,, ANTIFERTILITY,, INDICES,, AQUEOUS,, EXTRACT,, PAWPAW,, Carica papaya,, SEEDS,, EFFECTS,, ACROSOMAL,, ENZYMES,, MALE,, WISTER,, ALBINO RATS