Effects of Viscum album (mistletoe) from three host plants (cocoa, kola and coffee) on semen quality of wistar albino rats

Toxicity evaluation of medicinal plants is useful to know their safety profile. Male infertility arising from administration of drugs of plant origin is a major health concern. In the management of chronic health issues, the adverse effects of these agents are often down-played in favour of the beneficial medicinal values. This encourages repeated administration or consumption of part or whole plant products. Viscum album (mistletoe) is a popular medicinal plants used in the treatment of various chronic diseases. However, there is paucity of research on the effect of mistletoe from different host plants on male fertility. The study investigated the effects of aqueous extracts of Viscum album obtained from three host plants (Cocoa, Kola and Coffee) on semen parameters of Wistar rats. Animals were divided into four groups Control, Cocoa, Kola and Coffee respectively. Group 1 served as control (received distilled water, 10 ml/kg), groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 had four sub-groups each. Each sub-group received 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 mg/kg doses of extract respectively daily for 24 days. Five animals were allotted to each group (control) and sub-group (extracts). Administration of 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 mg/kg doses of extract of Viscum album obtained from three host plants (Cocoa, Kola and Coffee) caused dose-dependent significant (P<0.05, 0.01) decrease in semen quality (count, motility, morphology, concentration and viability) respectively. However, semen volume was not significantly altered (P>0.05). The results suggest that Viscum album obtained from the three host plants adversely affected sperm parameters in male wistar rats. Thus, people who consume the plant extracts should be careful and medical practitioners who prescribe Viscum album in the management of chronic diseases should be cautious.