Protective Effect of Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorriza) Rhizome Extract on Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Mice Sperm

The present study aimed to determine the effect of the aqueous extract of temulawak (Curcuma xanthorriza) rhizome on the sperm quality of monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced mice. This study used 30 male mice (aged 2.5-3 months old and weighing 25-30 g), which were then randomly divided into 5 groups: K- (healthy male mice received only aquadest), K+ (male mice exposed to 4 mg/kg BW MSG), MT1, MT2 and MT3 (MSG-induced male mice orally treated with 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/g BW temulawak (C. xanthorriza) rhizome extract for 14 days, respectively). At the end of treatment, all mice were sacrificed, and mice were sacrificed, and cauda epididymis was isolated. The obtained semen was analyzed for its quality, including motility, viability, concentration and abnormalities of spermatozoa. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and followed by the Tukey test using SPSS for Windows. The results showed that MT1, MT2 and MT3 groups could improve sperm motility of MSG-induced mice (72.26±5.69, 79.16±4.45 and 74.06±4.79 %, respectively). The highest sperm viability was found in the MT2 group (77.83±2.75%) followed by MT1 and MT3 groups (70.19±5.93 and 72.41±5.53%, respectively). MT2 and MT3 groups could increase (p<0.05) sperm concentration in MSG-induced mice by 14.03x106 and 14.46x106 cells/ml, respectively. While, sperm abnormalities of MSG-induced mice tend to decrease in MT1, MT2, and MT3 groups by 38.10, 36.32 and 36.04%. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of C. xanthorriza rhizome significantly improved sperm quality by increasing the motility, viability and concentration of sperm and also altered the sperm abnormality of MSG-induced mice.