Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Zingiber officinale on Sperm Count and Sperm Morphology of Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mus musculus.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary Zingiber officinale (ginger) extract on the sperm count and sperm morphology of cigarette smoke-exposed Mus musculus and to compare the efficacy of ginger extract to vitamin C as antioxidant supplement. Four groups of ten mice each were treated as follows: (1) an unsupplemented and unexposed control group (NN); (2) a group which was smoke-exposed without any dietary supplementation (EN); (3) another group that was smoke-exposed and provided with vitamin C supplement (EV), and; (4) one group which was smoke exposed and given ginger extract in the diet (EG). After four weeks of the different dietary regimes and 10 days of smoke exposure, during which the respective diets were continued, sperm samples were obtained from each mouse. Following observations of the samples using light microscopy and a standard hemocytometer kit, findings showed that the mice of the group EG exhibited highest sperm count, 50 ± 17 thousand cells per mm³ compared to other groups. Observed sperm abnormalities include headless, tailless, deformed head, and shorttailed. The mice of the group EN exhibited the highest number of abnormal sperm while the NN mice had the least observed number of abnormalities. The ginger extract in the diet apparently has anti-oxidative properties that likely helped to prevent low sperm count and occurrence of abnormal sperm among mice exposed to cigarette smoke.