Protective Effect of Tahitian Noni Juice on the Reproductive Functions of Male Wistar Rats Traeted with Cyclophosphamide

The effects of Tahitian noni juice (TNJ), vitamin C and vitamin E on male reproductive functions in cyclophosphamide-treated wistar rats were compared. Thirty five male wistar rats with mean body weight of 180 ± 24.3 g were randomly divided into five groups. Group one were treated with cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg, i.p.) while, group two were treated with TNJ (10 ml/kg, i.p.) and cyclophosphamide. Group three were treated with TNJ (10 ml/kg, i.p.) alone. Group four and five were treated with cyclophosphamide and either of vitamin C (100 mg/kg) or E (1 mg/kg) respectively. All drugs were administered for four weeks. In this study, mean weight gain, sperm motility (SM), live-dead ratio (LDR), epididymal sperm counts (ESC), percentage sperm abnormality, as well as, testicular histological changes were determined. Data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The ESC, SM and LDR were compared with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Median score for the histologic changes was analyzed using Wilcoxon sign rank test. The mean weight gain was higher in Groups 2 and 3 compared with other groups ( p <0.05). Similarly, the SM was higher in rats treated with TNJ compared with other groups ( p <0.001). The LDR, ESC, and testicular histologic scores did not differ between the five groups of rats. However, the percentage sperm abnormality was lower in groups 2 and 3 ( p <0.05). In conclusion, TNJ improved weight gain and protected against adverse effect of cyclophosphamide on sperm motility and abnormalities.