Comparative effects of aqueous leaf and bark extract of Cordia dichotoma (Anonang) on testicular histopathology of male Wistar rats

This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effects of aqueous leaf and bark extracts of Cordia dichotoma on the testicular histopathology of male Wistar rats. Thirty young adult male rats, aged 8 to 10 weeks and weighing between 200 and 300 grams, were divided into three groups. Group I received a low concentration of the aqueous leaf and bark extract (3 mL), Group II received a moderate concentration (4 mL), and Group III received a high concentration (5 mL). The treatments were administered via intraperitoneal injection for 21 days. Twenty-four hours after the final treatment, all rats were individually weighed and anesthetized with 95% ethanol before their testes were dissected for histopathological examination. The tissue sections of the testes displayed uniform degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules. Groups I and II, which received the leaf extract, along with all groups that received the bark extract, exhibited a reduced number of spermatozoa in the centers of the tubules. In contrast, Group III, which also received the leaf extract, showed a significantly higher presence of spermatozoa, constituting 70% of the tubule area. Additionally, moderate intertubular edema was observed in Groups I and II, which were administered the leaf extract. All groups exhibited signs of necrosis and degenerative changes in the tubules. Notably, 25% of the tubules at the periphery lacked spermatogenic cells. Both aqueous extracts resulted in testicular changes that could potentially lead to infertility. These effects are attributed to the extracts’ inhibitory impact on spermatogenesis and the possible induction of abnormal spermatozoa.