This study investigated the effects of ethanolic extract of Earth ball (Icacina mannii) tuber on the testes. Icacina mannii is a well-known plant in Africa due to its unique ball-shaped underground tuber. The extract was prepared by washing the tuber, cutting it into pieces, sun drying it, and extracting it with 80% ethanol. Four-week-old male Wistar rats were used in the experiment and were randomly assigned to four groups. Group A served as the control and received distilled water, while groups B, C, and D received low, intermediate, and high doses of the extract, respectively. The rats were fed for 28 days. On the twenty-eighth day, the animals' final weight was taken, and blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture for testosterone level analysis. The testes were recovered for histology. The results showed a significant increase in testosterone level in the low and medium dose groups and a significant decrease in the high dose group when compared with the control. The histologic section of the testes of rats in groups B and C revealed hypochromic sections of seminiferous tubules with swollen germinal cells and spermatogenic lining cells and irregular alignment of myoid cells when compared to the control group. The testicular histologic section of rats in group D showed atrophied and necrotic testicular cells. This study shows that Icacina mannii tuber could be a potential plant for research in the management of infertility in men due to testosterone deficiency, but high doses could be necrotic and atrophic to the testes.

Extract of Tetrapleura tetraptera and Xylopia aethiopica have been used in the management and treatment of various ailments. This study investigated and compared the effects of ethanolic extract of both plants on estrogen in female wistar rats. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into eight groups (n=3): one group for control and groups 2-8 served as experimental test groups. At the end of twenty-five days of oral administration of Tetrapleura tetraptera and Xylopia aethiopica extract, the test rats were sacrificed under chloroform anaesthesia and estrogen was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results showed significant reduction in serum estrogen after administration of low dose of Tetrapleura tetraptera in Group 2 rats at P < 0.05, but a non-significant increase and decrease in serum estrogen level in Groups 3 and 4 respectively at P < 0.05. Xylopia aethiopica extract caused a non- significant decrease in serum Estrogen level in Groups 5 and 6, but a non-significant increase in estrogen level of Group 7 at P < 0.05. In contrast, serum estrogen was significantly increased in Group 8 rats at P < 0.05 when Tetrapleura tetraptera and Xylopia aethiopica extracts were administered simultaneously. In conclusion, results obtained in this study suggest that individually, both Tetrapleura tetraptera and Xylopia aethiopica can affect the secretion and concentration of estrogen. The combination of extract of both plants could exert a positive effect on female fertility by increasing the levels of Estrogen.