Faculty of Pharmacy, Madonna University Elele, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Department of Experimental Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Port-Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Aug;26(22):22522-22528. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-05511-5. Epub 2019 Jun 3.
High rates of irreversible oligo- or azoospermia are found among Nigerian men, leading many to consume herbal male sex enhancement products. The possibility of reproductive toxicity due to heavy metal contamination (Cr, As, Co, Hg, Cd, and Pb) of herbal products commonly used to boost libido or treat erectile dysfunction necessitated this study. In this study, herbal sex enhancement supplements were bought from pharmaceutical shops in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and analyzed for heavy metals (Cr, As, Co, Hg, Cd, and Pb) contents using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The estimated daily metal intake (EDImetal), target hazard quotients (THQ), and total target hazard quotients (TTHQ) were determined. All the herbal sex enhancers used in this study contained heavy metals in these ranges: lead (0.032-0593), cobalt (0.025-0.075), cadmium (0.0011-0.048), and chromium (0.016-0.49) mg/kg. About 24.32% of the samples had TTHQ greater than 1. The EDImetal, THQ, and TTHQ of herbal sex enhancement supplements suggest that the use of some of these herbal sex enhancement supplements may not be risk-free after chronic exposure. Herbal sex enhancement supplements sold in Nigeria contain high levels of lead and cadmium. Since these metals are known to have male reproductive toxicity, these supplements may be adding to both the body burden of these metals and also implicated in the increasing incidence of male infertility in Nigeria.
尼日利亚男性中存在较高比例的不可逆性少精症或无精症，这导致许多人服用草药男性性增强产品。由于用于提高性欲或治疗勃起功能障碍的草药产品可能受到重金属污染（Cr、As、Co、Hg、Cd 和 Pb），因此有必要进行这项研究。在这项研究中，从尼日利亚哈科特港的药店购买了草药性增强补品，并使用原子吸收光谱法分析了这些产品中的重金属（Cr、As、Co、Hg、Cd 和 Pb）含量。确定了每日金属摄入量（EDImetal）、目标危害系数（THQ）和总目标危害系数（TTHQ）。本研究中使用的所有草药性增强剂都含有以下重金属：铅（0.032-0593）、钴（0.025-0.075）、镉（0.0011-0.048）和铬（0.016-0.49）mg/kg。约 24.32%的样品的 TTHQ 大于 1。草药性增强补品的 EDImetal、THQ 和 TTHQ 表明，长期接触这些草药性增强补品可能存在风险。在尼日利亚销售的草药性增强补品含有高水平的铅和镉。由于这些金属已知具有男性生殖毒性，因此这些补品可能会增加这些金属的体内负担，并可能与尼日利亚男性不育症发病率的上升有关。
