OBJECTIVE: Hypothyroidism has been claimed to generate sexual dysfunctions such as ejaculatory disorders. Aframomum melegueta is an aphrodisiac plant with pro-ejaculatory properties. We investigated the protective effects of aqueous extract (AE) and methanolic extract (ME) of A. melegueta on the ejaculatory function of hypothyroid male rats. METHODS: Forty sexually experienced male rats were partitioned into 8 groups (5 rats per group) and treated for 28 d as follows: Group 1, Control; Group 2, propylthiouracil (PTU, 10 mg/kg) + distilled water (DW, 10 mL/kg); Group 3, PTU + 5% Tween 80 (10 mL/kg); Group 4, PTU + bromocriptine (6 mg/kg); Group 5, PTU + AE (20 mg/kg); Group 6, PTU + AE (100 mg/kg); Group 7, PTU + ME (20 mg/kg), and Group 8, PTU + ME (100 mg/kg). On days 0, 7, 14 and 28 of treatment, each male rat was paired with primed receptive female for measurement of ejaculatory latency time (ELT) and post-ejaculatory interval (PEI) for 1.5 h. On day 29, each male rat was urethane-anesthetized and the spinal cord was transected. Thereafter, following urethral/penile stimulations and intravenous injection of dopamine, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were registered. After these recordings, blood was collected through the catheterization of abdominal artery and plasma was used for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin and testosterone assays. RESULTS: PTU-induced hypothyroidism was characterized by a significant elevation (P < 0.001) of plasmatic TSH and prolactin levels, but a decline (P < 0.001) in plasmatic testosterone, compared to untreated group. ELT, PEI, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were also altered by PTU treatment. On the contrary, A. melegueta extracts elevated testosterone (AE, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.01; ME, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05) and decreased prolactin (AE, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05; ME, 20 mg/kg, P < 0.05) levels, compared to corresponding controls. With regard to DW + PTU group, prolactin concentration was lowered (P < 0.05) in rats administered with bromocriptine. Treatment with A. melegueta extracts significantly prevented the lengthening of ELT (P < 0.05) and PEI (P < 0.001). Hypothyroid state also altered the fictive ejaculation by increasing the latency and decreasing the number and frequency of bulbospongiosus muscle contractions. There was also a decrease in the intraseminal pressure. These alterations were significantly (P < 0.05) alleviated in plant extract-treated groups. CONCLUSION This study highlighted the ejaculatory disturbance of hypothyroidism in male rats and its prevention with A. melegueta extracts.

OBJECTIVE: Cyclophosphamide (CP) is commonly used to treat some cancers, but its clinical efficacy is also linked with testicular toxicity. We investigated the effects of aqueous extract (AE) and methanolic extract (ME) of Helichrysum odoratissimum for reducing CP-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats. METHODS: In addition to a normal control (group 1), drugs or vehicles were administered orally to seven groups (n = 5) of rats that had already received 4-weeks of pre-treatment with CP (5 mg/[kg·d], per oral administration); group 2 received CP + distilled water (10 mL/[kg·d]); group 3 received CP + 5% tween 80 (10 mL/[kg·d]); group 4 received CP + clomiphene citrate (0.25 mg/[kg·d]); groups 5 and 6 received CP + AE (50 and 100 mg/[kg·d]) and groups 7 and 8 received CP + ME (50 and 100 mg/[kg·d]). Animals were sacrificed on day 15, and body and sexual organ weights, sperm characteristics, testosterone level and testicular histology were evaluated. RESULTS: The CP-treated group showed a significant reduction (P < 0.001) in the body and seminal vesicle weights, testosterone level, sperm count, sperm motility and sperm viability, but elevated (P < 0.001) sperm morphological abnormalities and testicular structure alterations, compared to the control group. Interestingly, these detrimental effects of CP were reversed by treatment with H. odoratissimum extracts. For instance, both extracts and all doses of H. odoratissimum significantly increased the sperm count (P < 0.001), sperm motility (AE, 50 mg/kg, P < 0.05; ME, 50 and 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05) and sperm viability (AE, 50 mg/kg, P < 0.001; ME, 50 and 100 mg/kg, P < 0.001) compared to the CP group. H. odoratissimum also improved plasmatic and intratesticular testosterone levels and prevented histological alterations of the testes. CONCLUSION H. odoratissimum might be considered as an alternative drug to alleviate/prevent reproductive damage in cancer patients receiving CP chemotherapy.