Effect of <i>Mucuna prurienson</i> ovo-testis histology of giant African land snail (<i>Archachatina marginata</i>)

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate effect of Mucunapruriens on ovo testis histology of giant African land snail  (Archachatinamarginata). Thirty (30) snails with weight range of 100- 150g were used for the study. Ten (10) snails were assigned to each of the three dietary treatments which include: Concentrate (CON), mixture of concentrate and Mucuna seed powder (CON + MSP) and Mucuna seed powder (MSP) only. At the end of eight (8) weeks, three (3) snails each per treatment were selected and dissected. Ovo testis was harvested from each treatment and  processed for histology. Parameters monitored were: ova and spermatozoa formation in ovo testis. Results showed that snails fed with mixture of Mucuna seed powder and concentrate had well formed ova but scanty spermatozoa, while those fed with Mucuna seed powder only had severe diffuse vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of the spermatozoa. Similarly, those snails fed with concentrate alone followed the same trend with those fed with mucuna only. It wasconcluded that MSP contain substances that couldaffect spermatozoa formation but support and ova production in right quantity in giant African land snail (Archachatinamarginata). It was recommended that MSP be processed to further evaluate its potential for spermatogenic activities as professed by different authors.

Keywords: Mucuna,Ovo-testis, Snail, Archachatinamarginata