Beneficial Effects of Ethanol Extract of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) Rhizome on Epididymal Sperm and Plasma Oxidative Stress Parameters in Experimentally Cryptorchid Rats

Aim: While antioxidant effect of ginger rhizome in reducing the oxidative stress in many diseases is well reported, there are limited studies on its effect in improving testicular function of cryptorchid rats. The present study was therefore carried out on cryptorchid rats given ethanol extract of ginger rhizome (EEG) to evaluate the effect on epididymal sperm and plasma oxidative stress parameters.
Methodology: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats (170g-210g) were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into 3 groups (n=8). Group A was sham-operated and treated with vehicle (corn-oil). Groups B and C were rendered cryptorchid and treated with vehicle and EEG respectively.
Results: Cryptorchid rats demonstrated significant decline in testicular weight leading to reduced epididymal sperm count, motility and percentage of morphologically normal sperm. Plasma oxidative stress was evident as there was rise in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels but decrease in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). EEG treatment however, significantly (p<0.05) improved all the above parameters.
Conclusion: The above findings indicate that EEG treatment helped to improve the testicular function in cryptorchid rats probably by counteracting the rise in oxidative stress in the plasma.