Effect of stinging nettle extract and potassium bromate on histological and physiological changes of male rabbit reproductive organs

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the various effects of nettle extract and potassium bromate on the histological and physiological changes of male rabbit reproductive organs and semen quality. Rabbit breeding experiments were conducted on a private farm in Lamluda region, Al-Qubbah city, eastern Libya, during the year 2024. Rabbits were divided into three groups: the first was dosed with potassium bromate, the second was dosed with nettle extract, and the third was dosed with potassium bromate for three days followed by nettle extract for three days, compared to the fourth group, as a control group. At the experiment's end, all animals were sacrificed, their epididymides were removed, and sperm assays were performed. The results showed that the weights of rabbits treated with potassium bromate and a mixture of potassium bromate + nettle extract decreased by 26.59% and 19.48% compared to the control, and the testis weight decreased by 190.39%, 25.83%, and 71.59% for each of the samples treated with potassium bromate, nettle extract, and the mixture of both compared to the control, respectively. The findings revealed that animals exposed to potassium bromate had a significantly decreased sperm count, higher semen viscosity, distracted and erratic sperm motility, and abnormalities in the sperm, with the head becoming spherical and the tail short, broken, and divided. The use of nettle extract, however, reduced these disturbances.