Comparative Chelating and Ameliorative Effects of Bryophyllum pinnatum Ethanolic Leaf Extract and Succimer on Gonadotropin Hormone of Male Wistar Rats Exposed to Methylmercury

Abstract: Methylmercury exposure and intoxication in human and animal populations has increased in recent years due to exposure from various sources. Methylmercury has been implicated to be the number one hormonal disruptor. This study explores the comparative chelating effects of Bryophyllum pinnatum ethanolic leaf extract from a plant that is largely used in folkloric medicine to treat various ailment and succimer, a standard agent used for the treatment of mercury intoxication, on testosterone and the gonadotropins: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) of Wistar rats. Fresh Bryophyllum pinnatum leaves were harvested, air dried, pulverized and active components extracted using 70% ethanol. The hormonal analysis was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of methylmercury was 7.07 mg/kg and was determined using Lorke’s method. The animals were randomly group in eight (8) groups, the Control (Distilled water); Methylmercury (MetHg) 1mg/kg; MetHg (1mg/kg) + BPELE (100mg/kg); metHg (1mg/kg) + BPELE (200mg/kg); BPELE (100mg/kg); BPELE (200mg/kg); metHg (1mg/kg) + succimer and succimer alone. The results showed that for testosterone, MetHg (1mg/kg/bw) combined with B. pinnatum (100 mg/kg) and MetHg (1mg/kg/bw) combined with Succimer (5mg/kg/bw) were significant p<0.001 compared to the control. Principal Component Analysis and Dendrogram were used for the analysis. Testosterone decreased significantly p<0.001 compared to the control. There was an ameliorative increase in testosterone production in the combination groups of MetHg(1mg/kg/bw) +B. pinnatum (100mg/kg/bw) and MetHg(1mg/kg/bw) + succimer (5mg/kg/bw) compared to MetHg alone group. However, succimer showed a better ameliorative increase in testosterone than B. pinnatum. The results for FSH for both B. pinnatum 100 and 200 mg/kg/bw were significant compared to the control, there was also significant difference in the succimer and MetHg combined groups but at different level of significance. There was no statistical difference in the LH results amongst the treatment groups compared to the control. This study suggests that B. pinnatum has ameliorative effects against methyl mercury. as observed in the improvement of testosterone production in the testis, otherwise suppressed by methylmercury administered orally to Wistar rats. BPELE could be an ameliorative blocker for the disruptive effects of methylmercury on male reproductive hormones and that BPELE could be a possible herbal chelate for methylmercury poisoning.

Keywords: Methylmercury, Succimer, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Testosterone, Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone.

Title: Comparative Chelating and Ameliorative Effects of Bryophyllum pinnatum Ethanolic Leaf Extract and Succimer on Gonadotropin Hormone of Male Wistar Rats Exposed to Methylmercury

Author: Onyagbodor, O. P. Aprioku J. S., Vincent-Akpu I. F.

International Journal of Recent Research in Life Sciences (IJRRLS)

ISSN 2349-7823

Vol. 10, Issue 1, January 2023 - March 2023

Page No: 22-32

Paper Publications

Website: www.paperpublications.org

Published Date: 25-January-2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7568588

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