Volume 19, Issue 43, January - June, 2025

Tabletability and sperm boosting properties of Allium sativum (garlic), Tetracarpidium conophorum (walnut) and Cyperus esculentus (tiger nut) powders

Ayotomiwa Ashiru¹, Oladapo Adetunji^1,2♦, Oludele Itiola¹

¹Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
²Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding author
Dr Oladapo A. ADETUNJI, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. / Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Decoctions made with garlic, walnut and tiger nut powders have been used to treat male infertility. In this study, the powders were characterized, formulated into tablets and assessed for their efficacy in treating male infertility through comparison with tablets made from sperm enhancing BF® powder. Characterization of garlic, tiger nut and walnut powders was done by measuring their density, flow, compressibility, sedimentation, viscosity, porosity, swelling, photomicrography and FTIR values. The powders were granulated and compressed into tablets containing only BF® (BFHTs), garlic (GHTs), tiger nut (THTs), walnut (WHTs) or equal ratios (CHTs) as the active ingredient, respectively and assessed using crushing strength, friability and release properties (in phosphate buffer, 0.1N HCL and distilled water) as criteria. Thirty-six adult male Wistar mice were assigned into groups A to K and dosed for 60 days before sperm cell analysis after euthanasia. Groups A to E received 500mg/kg/day and F to G received 1000mg/kg/day of GHTs, THTs, WHTs, CHTs and BF. Group K received distilled water (0.5mL/kg/day). ANOVA and LSD were used to analyze all the data collected. Tiger nut powder exhibited the highest densification at zero pressure (0.48 ± 0.01). Powder flow properties were poor (>500), while the compressibility profiles ranked garlic greater than tiger nut and walnut. Garlic powder exhibited the highest sedimentation (41.67±0.13), viscosity (8.50±0.01cps), porosity (24.54±0.04%) and swelling (2.46±0.01) indices. Powders had irregular shapes with varied functional groups, but with similar peaks between 1243.66-1234.00cm-1 due to C-O stretching. Crushing strength ranked GHTs>THTs>CHTs>BFHTs>WHTs. CHTs tablets were the most friable and exhibited the fastest disintegration (19.05±1.03secs) and release (>92.0%/60min) profiles. Sperm motility ranked CHTs (92.5±3.4%)>WHTs=THTs=BF(85.0±0.1%)>GHTs(80.0±0.2%), with group D having the highest normal sperm cells (91.5%). Sperm quantity of the mice were comparable, averaging 400.01±1.06 counts. Superior tablet qualities were demonstrated by garlic powder compared to other powders. Low doses of tablets containing the combined powders displayed qualities comparable to BF®, which could be utilized for treatment of male infertility

Keywords: Tabletability, Garlic powder, Tiger nut powder, Walnut powder, Sperm motility

Drug Discovery, 2025, 19(43), e11dd2073

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v19i43.e11dd2073

Published: 25 June 2025