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Inula glomerata Oliv. & Hiern and Salacia kraussii (Harv.) Harv are medicinal plants used by traditional healers in remote areas of Mbazwana, Northern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa for ameliorating male sexual disorders including erectile dysfunction (ED), low sperm count and early ejaculation. The study aimed at determining the ameliorative effect of the methanolic crude extracts of Inula glomerata (I. glomerata) and Salacia kraussii (S. kraussii) on butanol-induced erectile dysfunction in Sprague Dawley rats. The crude extract was prepared by maceration using methanol. Animal study was conducted whereby thirty-five male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into seven experimental groups: normal group, n-but (10 mg/kg), n-but+ Ig (50 and 250 mg/kg), n-but+ Sk (50 and 250 mg/kg) and n-but+ Cialis (5mg/kg). The experiment lasted for 28 days, after which various biochemical assays (acetylcholinesterase, ACE, arginase, testosterone, and uric acid) was done. The cytotoxicity of the crude extracts was also determined. The results revealed that n-butanol induced erectile dysfunction in the rats by decreasing mounting frequency, testosterone and nitric oxide level and simultaneously elevated the activities of arginase and acetylcholinesterase. The plants however, inhibited arginase and acetylcholinesterase when compared to the untreated. Furthermore, the plants' extracts were able to increase the level of testosterone and nitric oxide. It can be inferred that both plants could be promising natural therapy for erectile dysfunction. Nonetheless, the plants' extracts are toxic hence should be taken with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an organochlorine insecticide that has been used for indoor residual spraying for the control of mosquito-borne diseases including malaria. However, due to its toxicity and environmental persistence, there are concerns about its potential deleterious effects in humans and wildlife. Therefore, the current study aimed to monitor and estimate the level of DDTs in human communities. The accumulation of DDT and its metabolites was evaluated in house rat (as sentinel) livers collected in an area where DDT was sprayed. DDTs were measured using a gas chromatography / Electron Capture Detector. The results revealed high concentrations of DDTs in the rat livers and the levels of DDTs were similar to findings reported from the same area in 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of medicinal plants for contraception remains a common practice among South African ethnic groups. The present study assessed the phytochemical profile, cytotoxicity, acute oral toxicity and efficacy of a herbal mixture used for contraception by the Batswana of South Africa. An aqueous extract was prepared from equal quantities (in terms of weight) of Bulbine frutescens (roots), Helichrysum caespititium (leaves) and Teucrium trifidum (leaves) based on a recipe used by traditional health practitioners. The phytochemical profiles of the freeze-dried herbal mixture were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, cytotoxicity was determined using an MTT assay on Vero cells and in vivo contraceptive efficacy was evaluated using seven Sprague Dawley rats per control and treatment groups. The control group received distilled water while test groups received 5, 50 and 300 mg/kg of the herbal mixture, which was administered orally once a day for three consecutive days. Subsequently, female rats were paired 1:1 with males for 3 days. Their weights were measured weekly and incidence of pregnancy was recorded. The GC-MS chromatogram revealed the presence of 12 identified and 9 unidentified compounds. In terms of safety, the herbal mixture had an IC50 value of 755.2 μg/mL and 2000 mg/kg, which was the highest tested dose that caused no mortality or morbidity in the rats. A contraceptive efficacy of 14.5% was exerted with 50 mg/kg herbal mixture extract while other doses had no effects given that all the rats were pregnant. Based on a chi-square test (p < 0.05), there was no correlation between the tested herbal mixture doses and contraception, nor on the weight of the rats. Overall, the herbal mixture extract was found to be safe but had limited contraceptive efficacy at the tested doses. In future studies, exploring increased dose range, solvent extract types and hormonal analysis will be pertinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]