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Published on: July 10, 2018
Oxidative stress and fertility studies of selected plants using female Drosophila melanogaster
H O Alaka1, T O Ajayi2, A O Abolaji3
1Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Objective:
Low-to-moderate oxidative stress (OS) plays physiological roles in reproduction. However, excessive production of OS markers has been implicated in infertility, and the use of medicinal plants for its management is based on a paucity of scientific confirmation. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of methanol extracts of five (5) selected medicinal plants (Kigelia africana, Spondias mombin, Anacardium occidentale, Senecio biafrae, and Corchorus olitorius) on biochemical markers, together with fertility index in the Drosophila melanogaster model.
Results:
The plant extracts were found to be associated with a decrease in flies' mortality, while the fertility index increased significantly. The OS markers [Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Nitric oxide (NO)] were elevated in varying degrees with a decrease in the antioxidant parameters [total thiols (T-SH), and non-protein thiol (NPSH)] revealed in flies exposed to the medicinal plants.
