Effects of Phoenix Dactylifera on the Epididymis of Wistar Rats

Phoenix dactylifera (date Palm) belongs to the family Arecaceae and its fruit is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, steroids, flavonoids, saponins and simple sugars. The study is aimed at evaluating the effects of dry date Palm fruit on the Epididymis of Wistar Rats. Twenty (20) male Wistar Rats were divided into four groups of five rats each. Group one serve as the control while groups two, three and four serve as experimental groups and receive aqueous extract of P. dactylifera at 250mg/kg 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg respectively orogastrically once daily for 35 days while the control group received distilled water. At the end of the administration, the Wistar Rats were sacrificed using cervical dislocation and the epididymides were dissected and weighed, the left epididymides were processed for light microscopic study. Smears were made from sperm samples collected from the right epididymides, the smear were stained with cresyl violent and fuelgen stained for sperm morphology. The result showed degeneration of sperm cells and distortion of epididymal epithelium with a significant decrease in sperm morphology. P. dactylifera have the potential of causing infertility in Wistar Rats.