Herbal contraceptive effect of Abrus precatorius, Ricinus communis, and Syzygium aromaticum on anatomy of the testis of male Swiss albino mice

The present research was designed to investigate in vivo herbal contraceptive effects on the anatomy of the testis in male Swiss albino mice (Mus musculus) and to observe that whether the herbal extracts depart any baleful effects on the genitalia or not. Swiss albino mice at age of 30 days were divided into two groups: control and treated group. From day 60, the treated group was administered orally with an aqueous extract (4.4 mg/kg body weight) prepared from the herbal plants. At day 97 (after treatment for 6 weeks) both the control and treated mice were sacrificed. Testes were collected for anatomical (gross and histomorphological) studies. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining was performed for the histo-morphological studies. In the present study, the gross anatomy of the testis were significantly (p<0.05) reduced and pale in color in treated mice in comparison to the control group. Histologically, number of seminiferous tubules, sertoli & leydig cells and amount of spermatozoa within the lumen of seminiferous tubules were decreased. Derangement of the seminiferous tubules along with the presence of a thick fibrous layer and vacuoles were found within and between the seminiferous tubules in the treated group. The aforesaid changes with a good contraception rate (75%) and devoid of any baleful effects even on the female were found, where the contraceptive pills are known to have many side effects. Considering above all, the mixture of plants seems to be effectively worked on the male gonad (testis) suggesting that the herbal extracts might be future use-worthy.