%0 Journal Article
%T Inhibitory Effect of Aqueous Extract of Stem Bark of Cissus populnea on Ferrous Sulphate- and Sodium Nitroprusside-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat¡¯s Testes In Vitro
%A Seun F. Akomolafe
%A Ganiyu Oboh
%A Afolabi A. Akindahunsi
%A Ayodele J. Akinyemi
%A Oluwatosin G. Tade
%J ISRN Pharmacology
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/130989
%X Cissus populnea are plants associated with a myriad of medicinal uses in different parts of the world and are good sources of carotenoids, triterpenoids, and ascorbic acid. The antioxidant properties and inhibitory effect of water extractible phytochemicals from stem bark of C. populnea on FeSO4 and sodium nitroprusside- (SNP-) induced lipid peroxidation in rat testes were investigated in vitro. The results revealed that the extract was able to scavenge DPPH radical, chelate Fe2+ and also had a high reducing power. Furthermore, the incubation of the testes tissue homogenate in the presence of FeSO4 and SNP, respectively, caused a significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the testes. However, the aqueous extract of the stem bark of C. populnea caused a significant decrease in the MDA contents of both Fe2+ (EC50£¿=£¿0.027£¿mg/mL) and SNP- (EC50£¿=£¿0.22£¿mg/mL) induced lipid peroxidation in the rat testes homogenates in a dose-dependent manner. The water extractible phytochemicals from C. populnea protect the testes from oxidative stress and this could be attributed to their high antioxidant activity: DPPH-scavenging ability, Fe2+-chelating and -reducing power. Therefore, oxidatively stress in testes could be potentially managed/prevented by this plant. 1. Introduction Infertility is a major clinical problem, affecting people medically and psychosocially. In recent years, oxidative stress has been implicated in the progression of male infertility. Evidence has shown that these damaging events are caused by free radicals [1]. Oxidative stress results from either a decrease of natural cell antioxidant capacity or an increased amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in organisms. However, the consumption of foods rich in antioxidant phytochemicals may help fight degenerative diseases caused by oxidative stress by improving body's antioxidant status. High levels of Fe play a crucial role in degenerative diseases by acting catalytically in the production of ROS which have the potential to damage cellular lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, and carbohydrate resulting in wide-ranging impairment in cellular function and integrity [2]. ROS can directly attack the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the cell membranes and induce lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde (MDA) is the end-product of lipid peroxidation, which is a process where reactive oxygen species (ROS) degrade polyunsaturated fatty acids. Recently, much attention has been focused on the role of the antioxidative defense system to combat oxidative stress [3]. Endogenous antioxidants in plants may
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.pharmacology/2013/130989/