Histological and Biochemical Studies of the Actions of a Multi-herbal Tea on the Testis in Wistar Rats

Tea is consumed almost worldwide as a beverage and for its perceived health benefits. Tea has been used in folk medicine to treat a wide range of disorders. Tea is believed to be safe but recent studies suggest that under certain conditions, components of tea may be toxic to the liver and testis in rats. This study examined the effects of a multi-herbal tea on sperm parameters, markers of oxidative stress and histology in the testes of Wistar rats. We analysed histology of testis, and estimated sperm parameters and markers of oxidative stress such as catalase and reduced glutathione in 3 groups of rats that had been treated with 150 mg/kg of a tea extract for 4 and 8 week durations. One of the treated groups received ascorbic acid along with the extract. Our results show that the extract caused a significant reduction in all sperm parameters, with a 25% and 50% reduction in sperm count and motility respectively. Tea also caused oxidative stress with raised levels of malondialdehyde and reduced levels of catalase and glutathione. The extract also induced considerable degenerative changes in histology of the testes. Co-administration of ascorbic acid resulted in significant improvement in all sperm parameters and protection of testes from histological damage. We conclude that tea may be generally safe to take but at certain dosage and length of use, multi-herbal teas can impair spermatogenesis and damage the histology of testicular tissue, at least in rats.