Pro-fertility effect of Ficus carica fruit extract in streptozotocin-induced male rats

Abstract

Objective: To explore the impact of Ficus carica fruit aqueous extract on fertility parameters in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced male rats.

Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four different groups. All groups except a normal control group were induced with 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) intravenously to induce diabetes. A positive control group was treated with an antidiabetic drug, metformin (500 mg/kg) whereas a negative control group remained untreated throughout the experiment. Meanwhile, another diabetic rat group received treatment with 400 mg/kg of aqueous Ficus carica fruit extract. Rats in the treatment group were administered Ficus carica fruit aqueous extract daily through force-feeding via oral gavage for a 21-day period. Assessments included the sperm quality (count, motility and morphology), histology of the testes, serum testosterone and fasting blood glucose (FBG) level.

Results: The FBG level of the Ficus carica-treated rats exhibited a significant decrease compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). Sperm quality analysis also indicated that the aqueous Ficus carica extract had significant positive effects on sperm count and motility (P<0.05). The histology of the testes in Ficus carica- treated rats revealed an improved cell arrangement in the germinal cell layer. Furthermore, serum testosterone level showed an increment in the Ficus carica treatment group in comparison to the negative control group.

Conclusions: Our findings provide compelling evidence for the pro-fertility and anti-hyperglycemic properties of aqueous Ficus carica fruit extract in diabetic-induced male rats.

Keywords

Ficus carica fruit / Male fertility parameter / Diabetes mellitus / Anti-hyperglicemic

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Funding

This study received no extramural funding.

Authors' contributions

Mat Noor Mahanem conceived and designed the study. Subramaniam Puvaratnesh conducted the experiments and collected the data. Shamsusah Nadia A performed the statistical analysis. Subramaniam Puvaratnesh and AbuBakar Umarqayum wrote the manuscript. Mat Noor Mahanem and Shamsusah Nadia A critically reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors contributed to the interpretation of results and approved the final version for submission.

Publisher's Note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

[1] Sengupta P, Dutta S, Krajewska-Kulak E. The disappearing sperms: Analysis of reports published between 1980 and 2015. Am J Mens Health 2017; 11:1279-1304.

[2] Ramalho-Santos J, Amaral S, Oliveira P. Diabetes and the impairment of reproductive function: Possible role of mitochondria and reactive oxygen species. Curr Diabetes Rev 2008; 4(1):46-54.

[3] Amaral S, Moreno AJ, Santos MS, Seiça R, Ramalho-Santos J. Effects of hyperglycemia on sperm and testicular cells of goto-kakizaki and streptozotocin-treated rat models for diabetes. Theriogenology 2006; 66(9):2056-2067.

[4] He Z, Yin G, Li QQ, Zeng Q, Duan J. Diabetes mellitus causes male reproductive dysfunction: A review of the evidence and mechanisms. In Vivo 2021; 35(5):2503-2511.

[5] Kamaruzaman KA, Aizat WM, Mat Noor M. Gynura procumbens improved fertility of diabetic rats: Preliminary study of sperm proteomic. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2018; 2018:9201539.

[6] Kamalrudin A, Jasamai M, Mat Noor M. Ameliorative effect of Moringa oleifera fruit extract on reproductive parameters in diabetic-induced male rats. Pharmacognosy J 2018; 10(6):54-58.

[7] Abu Bakar U, Subramaniam P, Kamar Bashah NA, Kamalrudin A, Kamaruzaman KA, Jasamai M, et al. Sperm proteomics analysis of diabetic induced male rats as influenced by Ficus carica leaf extract. Processes 2020; 8(4):395.

[8] Ain Nul, Khan RA, Mirza T, Fayyaz T. The effects of Ficus carica on male and female reproductive capabilities in rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022; 2022:1-12.

[9] El-Morsy SMA, El-Tantawy SAM, El-Shabasy EA. Antischistosomal effects of Ficus carica leaves extract and/or PZQ on Schistosoma mansoni infected mice. J Parasit Dis 2022; 46(1):87-102.

[10] Khan NU, Qazi NG, Khan AU, Ali F, Hassan SSU, Bungau S. Anti-diabetic activity of brucine in streptozotocin-induced rats: In silico, in vitro, and in vivo studies. ACS Omega 2022; 7(50):46358-46370.

[11] de la Salud OM. WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen. [Online] Available from: https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:87138259 [Accessed 3rd February 2022].

[12] El-Shobaki FA, El-Bahay AM, Esmail RSE, El-Megeid AAA, Esmail N. Effect of figs fruit (Ficus carica L.) and its leaves on hyperglycemia in alloxan diabetic rats. World J Dairy Food Sci 2010; 5:47-57.

[13] Çali kan O, Aytekin Polat A. Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of selected fig (Ficus carica L.) accessions from the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. Sci Hortic 2011; 128(4):473-478.

[14] Mopuri R, Ganjayi M, Meriga B, Koorbanally NA, Islam MS. The effects of Ficus carica on the activity of enzymes related to metabolic syndrome. J Food Drug Anal 2018; 26(1):201-210.

[15] Paşayeva L, Özalp B, Fatullayev H. Potential enzyme inhibitory properties of extracts and fractions from fruit latex of Ficus carica-based on inhibition of a-amylase and a-glucosidase. J Food Meas Charact 2020; 14:2819-2827.

[16] Haredy SA, Imam TS, Ahmed-Farid OAH. Combination of Ficus carica leaves extract and ubiquinone in a chronic model of lithium induce reproductive toxicity in rats: Hindrance of oxidative stress and apoptotic marker of sperm cell degradation. IOSR J Pharm Biol Sci 2017; 12:64-73.

[17] Arikawe AP, Daramola AO, Odofin AO, Obika LFO. Alloxan-induced and insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus affect semen parameters and impair spermatogenesis in male rats. Afr J Reprod Health 2006; 10(3):106-113.

[18] Facondo P, Di Lodovico E, Delbarba A, Anelli V, Pezzaioli LC, Filippini E, et al. The impact of diabetes mellitus type 1 on male fertility: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Andrology 2022; 10(3):426-440.

[19] Agarwal A, Virk G, Ong C, du Plessis SS. Effect of oxidative stress on male reproduction. World J Mens Health 2014; 32(1):1.

[20] Aitken RJ, Baker MA. Causes and consequences of apoptosis in spermatozoa; contributions to infertility and impacts on development. Int J Dev Biol 2013; 57(3-4): 265-272.

[21] Alahmar AT. Role of oxidative stress in male infertility: An updated review. J Hum Reprod Sci 2019; 12(1):4-18.

[22] Ghaffar A, Tahir M, Lone KP, Faisal B, Latif W. The effect of Ficus carica L. (Anjir) leaf extract on gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity in adult male albino mice. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2015; 27(2):398-401.

[23] Pérez C, Dominguez E, Canal JR, Campillo JE, Torres MD. Hypoglycaemic activity of an aqueous extract from Ficus carica (fig tree) leaves in streptozotocin diabetic rats. Pharm Biol 2000; 38:181-186.

[24] El Ghouizi A, Ousaaid D, Laaroussi H, Bakour M, Aboulghazi A, Soutien RS, et al. Ficus carica (Linn.) leaf and bud extracts and their combination attenuates type-1 diabetes and its complications via the inhibition of oxidative stress. Foods 2023; 12(4):759.

[25] Alamgeer Iman S, Asif H, Saleem M. Evaluation of antihypertensive potential of Ficus carica fruit. Pharm Biol 2017; 55(1):1047-1053.

[26] Khaki A, Fathiazad F, Nouri M, Khaki A, Maleki NA, Khamnei HJ, et al. Beneficial effects of quercetin on sperm parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats. Phytother Res 2010; 24(9):1285-1291.

[27] Yelumalai S, Giribabu N, Karim K, Omar SZ, Salleh N. In vivo administration of quercetin ameliorates sperm oxidative stress, inflammation, preserves sperm morphology and functions in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced adult male diabetic rats. Arch Med Sci 2018; 15:240-249.

[28] Palaniyappan V, Bommireddy EP, Gudipudi H. In vivo fertility enhancing activity (aphrodisiac) of Ficus carica fruit on male wistar rats. [Online] Available from:https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:54838177 [Accessed 7th August 2022].

[29] Ghanbari E, Nejati V, Khazaei M. Antioxidant and protective effects of royal jelly on histopathological changes in testis of diabetic rats. Int J Reprod Biomed 2016; 14(8):519-526.

[30] Ghosh S, Chowdhury S, Das AK, Sil PC. Taurine ameliorates oxidative stress induced inflammation and er stress mediated testicular damage in STZ-induced diabetic wistar rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2019; 124:64-80.

[31] Barsiah S, Behnam-Rassouli M, Shahabipour F, Rostami S, Sabbaghi MA, Momeni Z, et al. Evaluation of testis hormonal and histopathological alterations in type I and typeH diabetic rats. J Cell Biochem 2019; 120(10):16775-16785.

[32] Naghdi M, Maghbool M, Seifalah-Zade M, Mahaldashtian M, Makoolati Z, Kouhpayeh SA, et al. Effects of common fig (Ficus carica) leaf extracts on sperm parameters and testis of mice intoxicated with formaldehyde. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2016; 2016:2539127.

[33] Mawa S, Husain K, Jantan I. Ficus carica L. (Moraceae): Phytochemistry, traditional uses and biological activities. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2013; 2013:974256.