Finding the Minimal effective dose of a combination of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and Javanese long pepper for male contraception on testicular fertility parameters in male Sprague Dawley rats

Yurnadi Hanafi Midoen, Dita Rany Anggraeni, Dwi Anita Suryandari, Hans Joachim Freisleben

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To reduce population growth, the Indonesian government promotes a Family Planning Program for fertile couples. Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) combined with testosterone or herbal androgens as testosterone substitute is intended for hormonal male contraception because it is expected that these combinations can suppress gonadotropin and inhibit spermatogenesis. Various medicinal herbs contain androgens, e.g., Javanese long pepper (JLP) (Piper retrofractum Vahl). Traditionally, JLP chili extract (JCE) is used to cure impotency and was proven to increase blood testosterone levels in hypogonad men. The aim of this study is to combine increasing amounts of JCE (0.94 - 3.76 mg) with DMPA (1.25 mg) and to study the effects on testicular parameters using male Sprague-Dawley rats: testis weight, seminiferous tubule diameter, the subpopulations of spermatogenic cells, and Leydig cells. Our randomized study design used six equally sized groups with 6 animals, each. Testis weight only decreased vs. controls in two groups, DMPA + placebo and DMPA + 3.76 mg JCE. Significant decrease occurred in the diameter of seminiferous tubules and at 3.76 mg JCE, in Leydig cell population. Within spermatogenic cell population spermatogonia A, spermatocyte-I preleptotene, spermatocyte-I pachiten, and spermatid population decreased. Conclusion: The combination of 1.25 mg DMPA and 3.76 mg JCE appears to be the minimal dose and a potent candidate for male contraception in our rat model.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)725-737
Number of pages13
JournalBiomedical and Pharmacology Journal
Volume10
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • DMPA
  • Leydig cells
  • Piper retrofractum Vahl
  • Seminiferous tubules
  • Spermatogenic cells

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