PROTECTIVE ROLE OF GARLIC TO ENHANCE SEMEN QUALITY OF RABBITS TREATED WITH TRAMADOL

Abstract

Garlic contains more than 200 chemicals. It contains sulfur compounds (allicin, alliin and agoene), volatile oils, enzymes (allinase, peroxidase and miracynase), carbohydrates (sucrose and glucose), and minerals (selenium). Tramadol is a synthetic centrally active opioid analgesic used to manage moderate to severe pain. It has dual mechanism of action. It works by binding to µ-opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. Therefore, the present experiment was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of garlic in alleviating the toxicity of tramadol on body weight, reproductive performance and  testesteron  of male rabbits. Animals were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: control; 50mg tramadol/kg bw; 40 mg garlic/kg bw; tramadol (50 mg/kg bw) plus garlic  (40 mg/kg bw), respectively. Results showed that live body weight (LBW), testes weight (RTW), and serum testosterone were significantly reduced (P<0.05) by treatment with tramadol. tramadol treatment also decreased (P<0.05) ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm output, sperm motility index, and semen initial fructose concentration. The negative effects of tramadol on semen characteristics were dose-dependent. Treatment with garlic increased (P<0.05) LBW, TW, serum testosterone concentration, improved semen characteristics, and alleviated the negative effects of tramadol. tramadol treatment increased (P<0.05) the numbers of abnormal and dead sperms in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with garlic alleviated the negative effects of tramadol during treatment. Results demonstrated the beneficial influences of garlic in reducing the negative effects of tramadol on production and reproduction of male rabbits.

Keywords: Tramadol, Rabbits, Semen, Garlic