Background: Tribulus terrestris (TT), Phoenix dactilyfera (Pd) and Nasturtium officinale (No) were believed to have fertility-enhancing effects and given by herbalists in Baghdad to men who need to increase their fertility capacity. Objectives: To investigate the possibility that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plants mixture can counteract the adverse effect of theobromine on reproductive system of male mic. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty mature male mice were injected intraperitoneally with 250 mg/kg/day of theobromine for four weeks. Then the males were treated intraperitonially with different dose levels of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of a mixture of the three plants for four weeks to evaluate their effects on body weight, reproductive organs weight, sperm parameters, hormones level and reproductive performance. Results: Both extracts showed a significant enhancement in all parameters studied. Almost all these results showed a dose dependent pattem with the ethanolic extract being the more effective than aqueous extract in all parameters. Conclusions: Mixture of the three plants seems to counteract the action of theobromine on the reproductive system of male mice through enhancing the concentration and motility of spermatozoa, increasing epididymis and seminal vesicles weight which are an indicator of testosterone production which brought about the stimulation of all male reproductive organs.
Background: A mixture of three plants was used in this study: Tribulus terrestris (TT), Phoenix dactylifera (Pd) and Nasturtium officinale (No) which were believed to have fertility enhancing effects. Objectives: To study the effects of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the mixture of the three plants on body weight and some reproductive organs parameters in male mice. Material and Methods: Extracts of the mixture of the three plants were injected intraperitoneally at doses of 75, 150 and 300mg/kg/day to male mice for a period of one and two weeks. Body weight and reproductive organs weight were recorded. The height and diameter of the epithelial lining cells of the epididymis and seminiferous tubules were evaluated by the end of the two periods through histological preparations. Result: Both extracts showed a significant increase in body weight and reproductive organs weight as well as the diameter and height of the epithelial lining cells of the seminiferous tubules and epididymis. Conclusion: A dose dependent pattern of effects was noticed in both extracts with more obvious effects resulted by the ethanolic extract.