Improved Fertility Potential and Antimicrobial Activities of Sesame Leaves Phytochemicals

Abstract

Infertility is a medical condition considered to be a public health problem based on its global impact on the socio-economic status and the quality of health life of the society at large with a prevalence of over 80 million couples affected worldwide. Incidentally, the last decade have witnessed increasing intensive study on isolates and other active phytochemicals been extracted from plant species used in folkloric medicine for over thousands of years now. Moreover, these plant-based agents are equally recognized by the World Health organization to have proven potential of treating microbial infections, organic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers and infertility/ subfertility among other known chronic medical conditions. In addition, one of such plants that is known to man since dawn of civilization is Sesame radiatum, an ancient plant that is rich in phytoestrogenic lignans among other phytochemicals with nutrients such as multi-vitamins including minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorus, proteins, fats and oil etc. The aim of the work was to explore the medicinal benefits and impact of the phytoestrogenic lignans and other contents in Sesame leaves on some selected microorganisms resistant to common antibiotics; and, also its fertility enhancing effects based on its natural properties on the adult male Sprague dawley rat testis using both stereological and histomorphometric evidences.

Keywords: Sesame, Phytochemicals (Lignans), Fertility, Antimicrobial, Sprague Dawley Rats, Nutriceuticals

JEL Classification: I10,Q00