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Effect of Ethanol Extract of Leaves of Chrysophyllum albidum on the Reproductive Hormones of Lead-Exposed Female Wistar Albino Rats
OBI, CC; PATRICK-IWUANYANWU, KC & ONYEIKE, EN
Abstract
This study investigated the ameliorative effect of the ethanol extract of leaves of Chrysophyllum albidum
on the ovaries and reproductive hormones of lead-exposed female Wistar albino rats. Lead has no physiological role in the
body but exerts many deleterious effects on various organs and systems in humans including the reproductive system; this
it achieves mainly by the production of free radicals leading to oxidative stress. A total number of forty-two rats (160-180g)
were divided into seven groups; group 1 served as the normal control group, group 2 rats were administered 200mgkg-1 of
lead and left untreated (negative control group) while groups 3,4,5,6 and 7 were administered lead (200mgkg-1) and 250,
500, 750, 1000 and 1250mgkg-1 body weight of the ethanol extract of the studied plant respectively. All groups received
feed and water ad libitum for 30days. A significant (p≤0.05) increase was observed in FSH, LH, estrogen and progesterone
levels in C. albidum treated groups compared to the negative control group. The histology of the negative control group
showed the presence of cysts with no ovarian follicle whereas treated groups showed normal histology of the ovaries with
oocytes except for groups 6 and 7.This ameliorative ability of C. albidum observed in the present study may be attributed
to its high antioxidant properties. Further studies on C. albidum could lead to the development of new and highly affordable
drugs for the treatment of female infertility.
Keywords
Chrysophyllum albidum; reproductive hormones; follicle stimulating hormone; progesterone
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