IN VITRO STUDY OF THE CONTRACEPTIVE SPERMICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ENSETE SUPERBUM ON HUMAN SPERM
Keywords:
Hypo-osmotic swelling, Sperm viability, Sperm membrane, Sperm motility, Vaginal contraceptive, Ensete superbumAbstract
Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the spermicidal and contraceptive efficacy of ethanolic extract of Ensete superbum seeds on human sperm in vitro.
Methods: The hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) and the sperm viability test were used to detect the integrity of sperm membrane and vitality. The sperm revival test was also done to check the recovery of the sperm motility.
Results: Ensete superbum extract at 100 mg/ml concentration, induced complete immobilization of human spermatozoa and kill 100% spermatozoa within 20s in vitro. The sperm revival test did not show any spermatozoa that recovered their motilities. In the 100 mg/ml extract and N-9 treated groups, the rate of the normal HOS (swollen tails) and the viable sperms (unstained) was 0%, and the rate of the abnormal HOS (unswollen tails) and nonviable sperms (stained) was 100% indicating the plasma membrane degradation of the sperm.
Conclusion: The current study indicates that ethanolic seed extract of Ensete superbum possesses appreciable spermicidal potential, which may be explored as an effective vaginal contraceptive.
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References
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