The effect of coconut fruit meat on testosterone and gonadotropic hormones level and germ cells in adult male rats

The coconut fruit meat contains some chemical compounds such as saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids inhibit 5-α-reductase enzyme and cause increasing cholesterol level in body. The present study was carried out with the aim of determining the effect of coconut fruit meat on spermatogenesis, testosterone and gonadotropic hormones level in adult male rats. In this experimental study, 40 male rats Wistar strain were divided into 5 groups of eight including the control group received nothing, the sham group received an equal volume of normal saline as a solvent and the experimental groups received 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg of meat of coconut fruit for 30 days orally. At the end of the 30th day, the blood samples and the testes were removed and histological changes were studied among experimental, sham and control groups. Data were analyzed by one- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test. Concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg/kg of coconut meat increased testosterone level and sperm condense in seminiferous tubules in comparison with the control and sham groups (p<0.05). Meat of coconut fruit increases testosterone level and tubular sperm condense, via inhibiting 5-α- reductase and increasing 17-β- hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase enzyme biosynthesize that which might be because of the lauric, myristic and palmitic acid content of the coconut fruit meat.