EFFECT OF JATROPHA TANJORENSIS LEAF EXTRACT

Jatropha tanjorensis (JT), commonly known as "hospital too far," is widely consumed as a vegetable and used in traditional medicine to treat ailments like anemia and diabetes. However, scientific evidence regarding its impact on male reproductive health is limited and conflicting, with some reports suggesting potential antifertility effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Jatropha tanjorensis methanol leaf extract on fertility hormones and the testes in male Wistar rats. Fourteen (14) male Wistar rats were divided into a control group (n=7), which received distilled water, and a test group (n=7), which was administered 500mg/kg of the methanol leaf extract of J. tanjorensis orally for four (4) weeks. At the end of the experiment, serum levels of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), testosterone, and prolactin were analyzed. Testicular weights were also measured. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Compared to the control group, administration of the J. tanjorensis extract resulted in a significant decrease in serum testosterone levels (2.350 ± 0.132 U/L vs. 3.225 ± 0.312 U/L, p=0.0416). Concurrently, the extract caused a significant increase in both serum LH (9.450 ± 0.595 µg/l vs. 5.975 ± 1.217 µg/l, p=0.0426) and FSH (15.65 ± 0.307 µg/l vs. 9.075 ± 2.04 µg/l, p=0.0190). There were no significant differences in prolactin levels or mean testicular weight between the groups. The findings demonstrate that the methanol extract of Jatropha tanjorensis disrupts the reproductive hormonal profile in male Wistar rats. The combination of low testosterone with high levels of LH and FSH is indicative of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, suggesting a direct inhibitory effect on testicular steroidogenesis (primary hypogonadism). These results indicate that the consumption of J. tanjorensis leaves may pose a potential risk to male reproductive health by impairing testicular function.