Omolaoye Temidayo S, Skosana Bongekile T, du Plessis Stefan S
Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa.
Front Physiol. 2023 Jun 7;14:1211227. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1211227. eCollection 2023.
Rooibos (), honeybush (), and sutherlandia () are three Southern Africa indigenous plants, of which the extracts have become house-hold items and are consumed on a large scale. Although, they are known for their antioxidant properties, studies have highlighted danger in the excessive intake. Therefore, the current study investigated whether treatment with rooibos, honeybush, and sutherlandia will impact sperm functional parameters positively or otherwise, in healthy rats. Fourteen-week-old pathogen-free adult male Wistar rats (250-300 g) were randomly divided into four groups of ten, including a control, rooibos (RF), honeybush (HB) and a sutherlandia (SL) group. After 7 weeks of treatment, animals were sacrificed. Spermatozoa were retrieved from the cauda epididymis for motility, morphology and concentration analysis and the testis was used for all biochemical assays. The infusion treated animals (RF, HB, and SL) presented with a non-significant decrease of -14.3%, -18.2%, -17.2% and -24.8%, -20.7%, -27.3% in total motility and progressive motility when compared to the control group, respectively. There was a significant increase in number of spermatozoa with slow speed ( = 0.03), especially in SL treated group compared to the control ( = 0.03). Additionally, there was an increase of 28.8%, 31.7%, 23% in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of RF, HB and SL compared to control, respectively. This was accompanied with a percentage decrease of -21.1%, -23.7%, 45.9% in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to the control group. In summary, animals treated with the respective infusions presented with a percentage increase in SOD activity but have reduced sperm motility and decreased normal morphology. Paradoxically, they presented with increased sperm concentration. Hence, it is presumed that rooibos, honeybush and sutherlandia may enhance sperm quantity (concentration) but may impair sperm quality (motility morphology) when consumed by healthy animals.
路易波士茶（）、蜜 bush（）和南非山梗菜（）是三种南非本土植物，其提取物已成为家庭用品并被大量消费。尽管它们以抗氧化特性而闻名，但研究强调了过量摄入的危险性。因此，本研究调查了用路易波士茶、蜜 bush 和南非山梗菜处理是否会对健康大鼠的精子功能参数产生积极或其他影响。将 14 周龄无病原体的成年雄性 Wistar 大鼠（250 - 300 克）随机分为四组，每组十只，包括对照组、路易波士茶（RF）组、蜜 bush（HB）组和南非山梗菜（SL）组。治疗 7 周后，处死动物。从附睾尾部获取精子进行活力、形态和浓度分析，并将睾丸用于所有生化测定。与对照组相比，接受输液治疗的动物（RF、HB 和 SL）的总活力和前向运动活力分别有不显著的下降，降幅为 -14.3%、-18.2%、-17.2% 和 -24.8%、-20.7%、-27.3%。精子慢速运动数量显著增加（ = 0.03），尤其是与对照组相比，SL 治疗组（ = 0.03）。此外，与对照组相比，RF、HB 和 SL 的超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性分别增加了 28.8%、31.7%、23%。同时，与对照组相比，丙二醛（MDA）水平分别下降了 -21.1%、-23.7%、45.9%。总之，接受相应输液治疗的动物 SOD 活性有百分比增加，但精子活力降低且正常形态减少。矛盾的是，它们的精子浓度增加。因此，据推测，路易波士茶、蜜 bush 和南非山梗菜可能会增加精子数量（浓度），但健康动物食用时可能会损害精子质量（活力和形态）。
