Volume 19, Issue 43, January - June, 2025

Spermatogenic effect of myricetin on ethyl-alcohol induced sperm toxicity in pre-pubertal male Wistar rats

Emeka Godson Anyanwu, Ikanna Ekanem Asuquo^♦, Daniel Itiza Akaahan

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding author
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Consistent ethanol beverage exposure adversely affects male reproductive function by oxidative stress-related mechanisms. This study was designed to investigate the spermatogenic and spermiographic effects of myricetin on ethyl-alcohol-induced sperm toxicity in pre-pubertal male Wistar rats. Thirty-five (35) pre-pubertal male Wistar rats were divided into seven (7) groups of five (5) rats each. Group 1 was given distilled water only, group 2 was given 40 % ethanol only, groups 3, 4, and 5 were given 40 % ethanol + 75 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg myricetin respectively, while Groups 6 and 7 were given 75 mg and 300 mg myricetin respectively. On completion of treatment, animals were ketamine sedated and blood was collected through intracardiac puncture. Epidydimal tissues were eviscerated for spermiography and semen analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the mean and standard error of the mean, and One-way analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were statistically significant differences between the means of independent groups. Tukey’s post hoc test was used to compare differences among the groups. Tests were considered statistically significant at p<0.05. Results showed that Sperm motility, sperm concentration, and the number of normal sperm cells increased in myricetintreated groups compared to the control and ethanol-induced groups. In conclusion, these finding suggests that myricetin protected the spermatic cells from oxidative stress and ameliorated ethanol-based toxicities to the epidydimal sperm cells, hence promoting its fertility function.

Keywords: Myricetin, Ethyl-alcohol, Semen analysis, Spermiography

Drug Discovery, 2025, 19(43), e4dd2041

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v19i43.e4dd2041

Published: 25 February 2025