اثرات ضد آندروژني عصاره رزماري بر سيستم توليد مثل رت نر

Antiandrogenic effects of Rosmarinus officinalis extract on the reproductive tract of male rats

Background: Extracts of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinali s, have been used in folk medicine for its diuretic , antioxidant, ant ispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effects , The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rosemary extract on male reproductive tract in rats, Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into two control (n=8) and experimental (n=16) groups. The rats in the experimental group were split into two equal groups, The first and the second experimental groups received 50 and 100 mg/kg doses of Rosemar y Aqueous Extract (RAE) made from the plantʹ s leave s, flower and stem on daily base s by gavage during a 2-month period , respectively but the control group recei ved only water. Blood samples wer e evaluated for testosterone levels on 3 different occa sions : before treatment, at mid period and at the end of the study by chemiluminescence. Sperm parameters and hist ological eva luations were done at the end of the study. Results: There were no significant differences in sperm count, viability and motility in the two exper imenta l groups when compared with the control group. In histol ogical examinations, there was a significant difference in the number of spermatogonia and spermatocytes in all of the experimental groups compared with thc control group. TIle number of Leydig cell s increased in the group receiving 100 mg/kg RAE when compared to the other groups, The testosterone levels decreased significantly in both experimental groups in comparison to the control group (p<0,05), Conclusion: It is concluded that rosemary extract may have antiandrogenic and ad verse effects on rat testis in 50 and 100 my/kg doses.