Hepato-nephroprotective, hematopoietic and anti-spermatogenic effect of the ethanolic extract of jatropha tanjorensis using male albino rats

INTRODUCTION Jatropha tanjorensis, commonly referred to as “hospitaltoo-far” or Ugu-Oyibo in Igbo language belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. It is widely grown and used as a leafy vegetable and a medicinal plant in South Eastern Nigeria. It is used locally in treatment of malaria, ailments associated with the liver and kidney, infertility and improvement of hematologic indices. It is reported to have antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, hypoglycaemic and antioxidant properties and enhances the function of the bone marrow (Olayiwola, et al., 2004; Orhue et al., 2008; Madubuike, et al., 2015). Phytochemical screening of J. tanjorensis leaf revealed that it contains bioactive principles such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones and saponins (Ehimwenma and Osagie, 2007). The testes (testicles) are two oval shaped organs located in the scrotum (Osuchukwu et al., 2016) and are the most essential organs of the male reproductive system. They are the glands where sperm and testosterone are produced (Keith et al., 2013). This implies that whatever affects the testes can influence sexual characteristic and fertility. Some plants have been used to improve semen quality e.g. Korean red ginseng (Hong, et al., 2002), Lepidium meyenii (Lee et al., 2016), while some have been used to improve hematopoiesis e.g. Sanguisorba officinalis (Chen et al., 2017). In the case of hepatic diseases, several species such as Silybum marianum, Phyllanthus niruri, and Panus giganteus have been shown to ameliorate hepatic lesions (Cacciapuoti et al., 2013).