ABSTRACT
Cloves possess antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, among other roles, they can play. This study investigated the effect of clove oil (CLO) on testicular and epididymal changes induced by cadmium chloride (CdCl). A total of 25 rats were randomly assigned to five groups of five rats. Group A was allowed feed and water ad libitum. Group B was given 20mg/kg of CdCl, group C was given 20mg/kg of CdCl and 10mg/kg of CLO, group D was given 20mg/kg of CdCl and 20mg/kg of CLO, and group E was given 20mg/kg of CdCl and 20mg/kg of Di Methyl Sulphur Oxide. After the experiment, the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after 24 hours of fasting. The testes and epididymis were harvested, while the right epididymis was homogenized for sperm analysis. The results revealed a significant decrease in progressive motility in group B, while a significant increase was observed in CLO-treated groups (P<0.05). In addition, group B showed a significant reduction in percentage progressive, an increase in percentage non-motile, and a decrease in sperm count. The histological studies showed that the control group displayed normal testicular and epididymal histo-architecture, while the Cadmium group (B) showed a progressive degeneration of the cells and tissues, alleviated by the high dose of CLO in both the testes and epididymis. In conclusion, the current research demonstrated that testicular and epididymal damage induced by Cadmium could decrease fertility, and CLO may be used in alleviating the deleterious effects of CdCl.
