DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY

Ocimum gratissimum (scent leaf) is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine, with certain ethnobotanical claims stating it promotes male virility. However, available scientific research shows mixed findings about its implications on male reproductive health, with some research revealing testicular injury and hormonal imbalance. Ocimum gratissimum is traditionally used to promote male vitality, although research information on its reproductive safety is inconsistent. This study studied the effects of a 500 mg/kg aqueous leaf extract of O. gratissimum on fertility hormones and testicular function in adult male Wistar rats for 28 days. Serum Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and testosterone were evaluated, with sperm count, motility, and morphology. The findings showed that while testosterone levels were normal, the extract caused a condition of compensated primary testicular dysfunction, as shown by significantly raised blood LH and FSH (p<0.05). A considerable decrease in the overall number of sperm was linked to this hormonal imbalance, suggesting compromised spermatogenesis. Ironically, by boosting motility and lowering the proportion of morphological defects, the extract also markedly enhanced sperm quality. These results point to a dualistic, site-specific action: the extract is gonadotoxic in the testes but may have a posttesticular, cytoprotective, antioxidant impact in the epididymis. Since the quantitative decrease in sperm production and hormonal indicators of testicular failure outweigh the qualitative gains, the overall effect at this dosage appears to be harmful to male fertility. These findings call into question the plant's conventional application as a fertility booster and call for care.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways of the lungs, characterised by bronchoconstriction, mucus hypersecretion, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Standard asthma therapies such as salbutamol, montelukast and prednisolone are effective in alleviating symptoms, yet their histological impact on lung tissue remains incompletely understood. This study evaluated the effects of salbutamol, montelukast and prednisolone on lung tissue histology in Ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic female Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups (n=8); negative control, positive control, salbutamol treated, montelukast treated and prednisolone treated. Asthma was induced in Groups 2–5 using a modified ovalbumin (OVA) protocol. Rats were sensitized via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of 1 mg OVA emulsified in 20 mg aluminium hydroxide on days 1 and 7. From day 14, sensitized rats were challenged by exposure to aerosolized 1% OVA solution for 15 minutes per session, twice weekly for 28 days. After confirmation of asthma treatment, at end of the experiment, lungs were excised, fixed in 10% formalin, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Histological changes were assessed using light microscopy at 400x magnification. The negative control group exhibited normal pulmonary architecture with intact bronchi and alveolar sacs. The OVAinduced positive control group showed hyperplasia of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) and follicular bronchiolitis. In contrast, lungs from rats treated with salbutamol, montelukast, and prednisolone demonstrated preserved histoarchitecture with minimal inflammatory infiltration and normal alveolar and bronchial structures, comparable to those of the control group. Conclusion: Treatment with salbutamol, montelukast, or prednisolone effectively ameliorated histopathological alterations associated with OVA-induced asthma in female Sprague-Dawley rats. These findings confirm the protective and restorative effects of these drugs on lung tissue integrity in experimental asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder marked by bronchoconstriction, mucus hypersecretion, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. While current therapies such as salbutamol, montelukast, and prednisolone are effective in alleviating symptoms, their combined effects on lung tissue integrity remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of salbutamol, montelukast, prednisolone, and their combinations on lung histology in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic female Sprague-Dawley rats. Fifty-six adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups (n = 8): negative control, positive control (OVA-induced, untreated), salbutamol + prednisolone, salbutamol + montelukast, and prednisolone + montelukast. Asthma was induced through OVA sensitisationand aerosol challenge for four weeks. After confirming the development of asthma, treatment was administered orally for four weeks. Lung tissues were excised, fixed in 10% formalin, processed, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for histopathological evaluation under light microscopy. The negative control group showed normal lung architecture with intact bronchi and alveolar sacs. The OVA-induced positive control exhibited hyperplasia of bronchus- associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) and features of follicular bronchiolitis. The salbutamol/prednisolone and prednisolone/montelukast groups showed preserved lung structure with minimal inflammation and normal bronchi and alveolar spaces. In contrast, the salbutamol/montelukast group displayed marked bronchoconstriction and severe BALT hyperplasia, exceeding that seen in the untreated asthmatic group. Conclusion: Combination therapy with prednisolone and either salbutamol or montelukast effectively preserved lung histoarchitecture in OVA-induced asthmatic rats, indicating potent anti-inflammatory protection. However, the salbutamol/montelukast combination failed to reverse asthmatic histopathology, suggesting reduced therapeutic synergy or potential antagonistic interaction. These findings underscore the importance of drug selection in optimising asthma management and preventing structural lung damage.

Heat adaptation is the physiologic adaptation that occur in response to recurrent elevations in core and skin temperatures from high ambient temperatures over the course of 7-14 days or more, prompting the negative responses of heat stress. Heat adaptation plays a large role in the physical response and overall ability of the body to cope with heat exposure. The current climate change with attendant heat waves served as the basis to study the adaptive mechanism to the increase in environmental temperature. This study was therefore aimed at investigating the effect of heat-adaptation on the reproductive functions of female rats. A total of 48 (36 adult and 12 immature) virgin female Wistar rats and 6 male Wistar rats were used for this study. Experiment was carried out in different phases, with all phases having 6 animals each in control and heat adapted groups. The rats in heat adapted groups were housed in a special heated chamber 5 hours per day, maintaining a constant ambient temperature of 34-39°C for the different study phases, the control group animals were kept in an ambient temperature of 25-30°C. Baseline parameters and samples collected were used for estrous cycle classification, uterine contractility, hormonal, histological and gene expression assays. Statistical analysis was done using the GraphPad Prism version 8.1. It was observed in this study that heat adaptation had no significant effect on estrus cyclicity, uterine and ovarian weight, uterine and ovarian morphology, female reproductive hormonal levels, and contractility of both pregnant and non-pregnant isolated uterus as well as litter size and weight. There was a significant increase in both surface and core body temperature of the heat adapted group compared to the control group. Heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) was significantly (P<0.05) upregulated in the heat adapted group. In conclusion relatively stable reproductive indices are associated with heat adapted female rats while significantly up-regulated Heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) gene could be the regulatory adaptive mechanism to prevent any negative consequences.

Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) is an herbaceous plant from the Fragaria genus. It is a well-known plant with a widely enjoyed fruit. Strawberry, like other common fruits, contains antioxidants such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid, and essential oils It is also high in minerals like iodine, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorus, as well as vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Hormones have critical role in fertility management and regulation. Endocrine glands produce hormones and release them to target organs in response to stimulation via negative or positive feedback mechanisms. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of Fragaria ananassa (strawberry fruit) extract on male reproductive function by analyzing the male hormones in adult male wistar rat. A total of twenty (20) adult male wistar rats were used for this study. The rats were divided into four (4) experimental groups (A-D) with five (n=5) rats in each group. The rats were acclimatized for two weeks before commencement of administration. Group A was the control group. Group B, C and D were administered 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg body weight of fragaria ananassa extract orally via gavage respectively. The rats were anesthetized using chloroform vapor and were terminally bled by cardiac puncture. The blood samples were collected using a heparinized tube for hormonal assay. Testosterone was determined by competitive enzyme immunoassay (TYPE 7) and Luteinizing hormone was determined by Immunoenzymometric assay (TYPE 3). The result were statistically analyzed using Graph-Pad prism version 8.0. Comparison within groups were done using one-way ANOVA. The result were presented as mean ±SEM and p-value less than 0.05(P < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. The result showed non-significant difference in the hormones (Testosterone and Luteinizing hormone) in group B, C and D when compared to the control group (Group A). In conclusion aqueous extract of Fragaria ananassa (strawberry fruit) does not have significant effect on the reproductive hormones (Testosterone and Luteinizing hormone) in adult male wistar rats.