HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE TESTES, EPIDIDYMIS AND SEMINAL VESICLES OF ADULT MALE RABBITS TREATED WITH GARDEN CRESS (LEPIDIUM SATIVUM L.) SEEDS PHENOLIC EXTRACT.

The use of medical plants for treating diseases is a worldwide phenomenon in developing and developed countries. The classical knowledge of medicinal plants have led up to the different medical drugs development, and is as yet the basis of numerous scientific studies. The seeds of Lepidium sativum L. plant which is known as the garden cress are used in Arabian regions as a complement of food and as well as in classical medicine. In the present research the phenolic methanolic extract of plant seeds obtained by Soxhlet extraction was examined for the histological changes in the tissues of testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle of adult male rabbits. The capacity of the phenol extract of plant seeds to stimulate changes in the studied rabbits organs morphology and histology compared to the normal groups were determined. The results revealed that the phenol extract of garden cress caused moderate and marked reduction in the concentration of sperm at 64 and 96 mg/kg body weight of phenol extract. This result suggests that phenol extract could be harmful to the architecture of rabbits testis when the concentration and period of experiment were increased. The results also indicated that this extract caused the presence of fewer numbers of sperms in the lumen and less marked stereocilia in the epididymis, and a decrease in the height of the epithelial secretive cells of the seminal vesicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]