Spermatotoxic Effects of Some Medicinal Plants (Carica papaya, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Ipomoea batatas) on Sperm Quality and Testicular Weight in Male African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of pawpaw (Carica papaya) seeds, hibiscus plant (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) leaves and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves extracts on sperm quality (sperm motility, sperm density, semen volume) and weight of testes of male Clarias gariepinus. One hundred and twenty (120) juveniles of C. gariepinus were collected from the University of Calabar fish farm. The 120 fish were randomly divided into 12 experimental tanks measuring 80x80x80 cm (L x W x H), with three tanks for each treatment, using a completely randomized design (CRD). Three grams (3g) of each test plant were incorporated into 1kg of Coppens feed (3g/kg) and reformulated into four experimental diets; Treatment A- Control, B- Pawpaw seed meal (PSM), C-Hibiscus leaf meal (HLM) and D- sweet potato leaf meal (SPLM). The experiment was done in three replications. The fish were fed twice daily for 6 months. Data obtained were analyzed using a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that fish fed with HLM had significantly (p =.05) higher testicular weight when compared with the control and other test plants. Moreover, sperm volume and density significantly (p =.05) reduced in fish samples treated with PSM and SPLM when compared with the control and fish fed with HLM. The highest mean sperm volume and density were obtained in fish samples fed with HLM. No significant difference was observed in the sperm motility of the fish in all the treatment groups. Conclusively, this study reveals the pro-fertility potential of H. rosa-sinensis in male C. gariepinus while C. papaya and I. batatas possess anti-fertility properties. Therefore, HLM can be utilized as feed additive to minimize the dependence on synthetic drugs as fertility enhancing agents.