Aim: The harmful effects of pesticides have been largely documented in recent times. But effective therapeutic solutions to pesticide related male infertility are yet to be established. This study investigated the curative effects of Lannea acida on imidacloprid (IMI)-induced hypofertility in male Wistar rats. Methods: Rats of 150 – 200 g were administered IMI (22.5 mg/kg) for two weeks and partitioned into control (distilled water, vitamin E, clomiphene citrate) or test (aqueous (340 mg/kg), methanol (170 mg/kg) extract) groups for eight weeks treatment. Animals were sacrificed at the end of the treatment and samples were collected for sperm, antioxidant and hormonal analysis. Fertility tests were performed from treatment day 47 for fertility indices estimation. Results were expressed as mean ± SEM and one way ANOVA was applied using STATISTICA Software. Results: Exposition to IMI resulted in a significant decrease in sperm count, motility, viability and normality, testosterone and LH, coupled to an increase in oxidative stress markers. Moreover, IMI impaired male fertility evidenced by a significant drop in fertility index and litter size. Similar to clomiphene citrate and vitamin E, plant extracts significantly improved the sperm parameters, sexual hormones and decreased the oxidative stress markers. More importantly, the fertility index and litter size were restored, especially with the aqueous extract. Conclusion: Present results indicate that L. acida possesses curative potentials against IMI-induced hypofertility through its androgenic and antioxidant properties. However, the effects the extract on spermatozoa DNA structure and the fertility of offsprings from exposed parents are yet to be studied to conclude on total recovery from IMI toxicity.
