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Abstract
To evaluate the antifertility effects of crude ethanol extracts of Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch in Mongolian gerbils. Crude ethanol extracts of T. hypoglaucum root (ETHR) were administrated orally at a dose of 160 mg/kg for 30 days. Sperm density, sperm motility levels and the percentage of misshapen sperm in the cauda epididymides were assessed. The fertility rate of mated female gerbils was calculated. The results indicate that ETHR has effect in Mongolian gerbils. Oral administration of ETHR caused an increase of the percentage of misshapen sperm significantly. Testis and epididymis weights, the sperm density and motility were significantly reduced. Compared to the control group, there was a distinct reduction in the number of litters produced, and the average number of pups per male decreased from 3.4 to 0.87. Reversibility tests showed that testis and epididymis weights, sperm indices and fertility started to gradually recover after 30-days cessation of medication. ETHR brought a significant decrease in birth rate of Mongolian gerbils.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30800727) and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2007CB109105). We thank the staff (Kangbao Grassland Work Stations, Hebei Province, China) for providing excellent facilities during our trapping samples. We also thank Dr. Qinghong Liu for providing technical advice on the preparation of extracts.
