Abstract:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the
effects of a high dose of black tea brew (BTB),
made from Sri Lankan high grown Dust grade
No: 1 tea on fertility of males using rats. A
high dose of B T B (501 mg/ml; equivalent to 9
cups) was orally administered to rats for 72
consecutive days and their libido, ejaculatory
competence and fertility were assessed for
three days prior to treatment and on days 3, 7,
21, and 72 of treatment by individually pairing
overnight with a prooestrous female. Selected
pre-natal and early post-natal developmental
parameters of pups of mated females were also
determined. The results showed that B T B has
no effect on libido (in terms of precoital sexual
behaviour and index of libido), ejaculatory
competence (in terms of vaginal sperm counts)
and fertility (in terms of quanta! pregnancy,
litter index, fertility index, number of uterine
implants). Further, all of the pre-nata! (the
diameter of the first embryo) and post-natal
(body weights of pups, cranial length, cranial
diameter, cranio-sacral length, tail length and,
number of days taken for the appearance of
fur, eruption of incisors and opening of eyes)
developmental parameters assessed were
unaltered. There by it concluded that heavy
consumption of short or long term BTB has no
detrimental effect on libido, ejaculatory
competence and male fertility.
