Hepatic, testicular and spermatozoa antioxidant status in rats chronically treated with Garcinia kola seed

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Garcinia kola seed is commonly used in African Traditional Medicine as a remedy for liver disorders, hepatitis, bronchitis, throat infections as well as an aphrodisiac and fertility enhancing substance. Owing to the abundance of complex mixture of phenolic compounds in Garcinia kola seed, there is a growing safety concern on its long-term use in folklore medicine. The present study evaluated the hepatic, testicular and spermatozoa antioxidant status in rats chronically treated with Garcinia kola seed. Materials and methods: Adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups of 10 rats each and were orally administered with Garcinia kola at 0, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg for 6 consecutive weeks. Clinical observations, serum biochemistry, oxidative stress biomarkers, spermatozoa parameters and histopathological examination of the organs were assessed to monitor treatment-related adverse effects in rats. Results: Long-term treatment of Garcinia kola had no adverse effect on the spermatozoa characteristics but significantly elevated testosterone concentration when compared to the control group. Improvement of antioxidant systems was accompanied by a significant decrease in malondialdehyde level in the liver, testes and spermatozoa of Garcinia kola-treated rats. Histological observation revealed that chronic administration of Garcinia kola had no effect on the liver and testes at all doses when compared with control. Conclusion: Garcinia kola seed boosts the antioxidant status and exhibits no adverse effect on the liver, testes and spermatozoa after a long-term oral exposure in rats. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.