Reproductive Toxicity & Biomarker Response of Male Albino Rats (Rattus norvegicus) to a Daily Dose of Beer

The effect of Beer was evaluated on Albino rats. Sperm count, kidney function test, liver test, red blood cell, pack cell volume, haemoglobin, white blood cell, platelets, lymphocytes were evaluated. The results revealed the mean serum Na, K and Cl reduced from 155.33, 6.13 and 99.33 in week 1 to 146.33, 4.80 and 87.3 in week 4 with a significant difference (P<0.05) across the group when compared to the average control for Na and K. HCO3 had a mean of 19.0 in week 1 and a mean of 21 in week 4 in the treated group and the control group had 23.33 in week 1 and 24.33 in week 3. AST had a mean of 47.33 in week 1 which reduced to 23.33 in week 4 while ALT had a mean of 14.00 in week 1 and 15.00 in week 4 with a significant difference (P<0.05) across the group. The mean serum protein had a mean of 61.77 in week 1 and a mean of 68.11 in week 4 but the treated group was generally lower than the control group. Mean PCV reduced from 33.33 in week 1 to 25.13 in week 4, Hb from 11.20 in week 1 to 12.60 in week 3 then up to 13.35 in week 4 with a significant difference (P<0.05) when comparing the test with the average control, WBC had a mean of 8.60 in week 1 and 9.03 in week 4 in the treated group, Platelet count was 300 in week 1 and 514 in week 4 with significant difference (P<0.05) when compared to the average control. RBC had a mean of 5.0 in week 1 and 7.23 in week 4. Lymphocyte for week 1 had a mean value of 65 and decreased to 62.60 in week 4 with a significant difference (P<0.05) when compared to the average control. While the mean sperm count was 62.60, 115 and 125 in week 1, 2 and 3 with the control group having 84, 475 and 575 in week 1, 2 and 3 respectively. This showed that Beer had a negative effect with a significant difference (P<0.05) on the sperm count in the test when compared with the control. These findings demonstrate that Beer had a detrimental effect on the sperm count, liver kidney and on the haematological parameter.