THE EFFECT OF SEMBUNG LEAF EXTRACT (BLUMEA BALSAMIFERA) ON THE NUMBER AND DIAMETER OF RATS LEYDIG CELLS INDUCED BY HIGH-FAT DIET

Abstract

This study aims to determine the morphology of Leydig cells in hyperlipidemic wistar rats after having administered with sembung (Blumea balsamifera) extract orally. This study utilised a randomized post-test only control group design. The sample in this study were 16 adult male wistar rats (Rattus novergicus) aged 3-4 months with a body weight of 150-200 grams, which were equally and randomly divided into two groups, namely control group (hyperlipidaemia and sterile aquadest) and treatment group (hyperlipidaemia and sembung leaf extract). Hyperlipidaemia was induced with lard administration for 50 days. Data were analysed statistically using the Independent t-test. The results showed that the number of Leydig cells in the treatment group was higher than the control group with 68.13 ± 1.89 and 55.63 ± 1.92 cells respectively (P <0.05). In addition, the mean Leydig cell core diameter of the control group, 5.00 ± 0.34 µm, was smaller compared to the treatment group which was 5.80 ± 0.20 µm (P <0.05). It can be inferred that sembung leaf extract provides a protective effect against damage to Leydig cells due to hyperlipidaemia.