author(s)
Nidhi Anand and Rajesh Kumar

abstract
Male fertility is greatly influenced by seminal fructose, which is the main energy source for sperm motility and activity. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has been traditionally used for various therapeutic purposes, including fertility regulation. This study evaluates the dose dependent antifertility efficacy of aqueous flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis by measuring its impact on seminal fructose level in male Swiss albino mice. Seminal fructose level acts as an indicator of seminal vesicle function and male fertility in male mice. 72 healthy, adult, male Swiss albino mice were divided into Group I, Group II and Group III. Group I was the control group, and its mice were orally fed with glass-distilled water, whereas Group II and Group III mice were administered with aqueous flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis at doses of 200 mg/kg body weight and 500 mg/kg body weight for 15, 30, 45, and 60 days of exposure, respectively. Fructose concentration was measured by the colorimetric resorcinol method. Statistical analysis was done using a student t-test. The seminal fructose level of both Group II and Group III mice was found to have decreased significantly (p<0.001); however, the seminal fructose concentration of Group III mice, which were given an aqueous flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight, decreased more sharply than that of Group II mice, which were given an aqueous flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight, indicating its potential as a biomarker for evaluating male reproductive function. These findings support the role of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis as a prominent, cheap, herbal, reversible, eco-friendly male contraceptive agent.