Summary: | Present study was conducted to evaluate anti-reproductive effects oftotal glycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii (GTW) (Thunder God Vine), inmale House rat, Rattus rattus, a predominant rodent pest species foundin commensal situations in Punjab, India. Mature male rats were fed onbait (cracked wheat and powdered sugar, 98:2) containing 0.1, 0.2 and0.3% GTW for 10 days in no-choice feeding tests. Results revealed 67.2-85.2% acceptability of treated bait over untreated bait. Autopsy of ratsafter 30 days of treatment withdrawal revealed significant (P≤0.05)reduction in weights of testes and epididymides. The sperm motility, livesperm count and sperm concentration in the cauda epididymal fluid of treated rats was also reduced significantly compared to that in untreatedrats. The major abnormality in sperm morphology was sperm head tailseparation. Results suggest the use of GTW for reducing reproduction of rattus in integration with chemical control.
|