Effect of the aqueous extract of Senecio biafrae (Oliv. & Hiern) J. Moore on sexual maturation of immature female rat

Abstract

Background Senecio biafrae (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant widely used by traditional healers in the western region of Cameroon for the treatment of female infertility. This experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the aqueous extract from leaves and stems of S. biafrae (AESb) on the onset of puberty and some biochemical and physiological parameters of reproduction in immature Wistar female rats. Methods Different doses of AESb were daily and orally administered to immature female rats (13 animals/group) for 30 days. At the end of the treatment period, six animal of each experimental group were sacrificed and their body, ovarian, uterus weight; uterine, ovarian protein or cholesterol level as well as data on puberty onset recorded. The remaining animals of each group were used for the fertility test and some gestational parameters recorded. Results A linear increase in the growth rate of all animals was observed. The body weight gain in animals treated at the dose of 8 mg/kg of AESb significantly increased (p < 0.05) after 25 days of treatment while those receiving the doses of 32 and 64 mg/kg presented a significantly low body weight gain starting from the 19 th day till the end of the treatment period. The ages (days) of animals at vaginal opening (VO) was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in those treated with the doses of 32 (41.25 ± 0.51) and 64 mg/kg (41.42 ± 0.54) as compared to control animals (43.33 ± 0.73). AESb significantly increased (p < 0.05) the ovarian weight and the number of corpora lutea in animals treated with 8 mg/kg as well as the uterine weight and protein levels irrespective of the dose. No significant effect of the extract on various fertility and gestational parameters was registered. Conclusion The overall results of the present study provide evidence on the puberty onset induction and ovarian folliculogenesis effect of AESb in immature female rat.

Phytochemical composition, acute toxicity and phytohormonal activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Pentadesma butyracea (Clusiaceae Sabine (1824)) seeds

“…These findings are consistent with Bayala et al (2006) and Siangcham et al (2010) who showed that estrogenic compounds induce an increase of sex glands weight, especially uterus. Indeed, estrogenic compounds cause this weight increase through mitotic activity and retention of substance in target cells, especially in uterus cell (Bayala et al, 2006;Lienou et al, 2012;Essien and …”

Effects of Ficus asperifolia on normal rat estrus cyclicity

“…This interference is commonly expressed as a change in normal components of vaginal smear or disruption in the frequency of particular stages of the estrus cycle [3] . In this light, alternative treatments with plant extracts are required to have more specific pharmacological profile [4,5] . The importance of plants as a source of fertility drugs has been emphasized by many researchers [6] .…”

Phytotherapy and Womenʼs Reproductive Health: The Cameroonian Perspective

“…Up to date, a large variety of studies have reported the estrogenic properties of a number of Central African medicinal plants, namely, Eryhtrina lysistemon (Fabaceae) [10,11], Brenania brieyi (Rubiaceae) [12], Millettia conraui (Leguminosae), Millettia drastica (Leguminosae), Bridelia ferruginea (Leguminosae) [13], and Erythrina poeppigiana (Fabaceae) [14,15]. A mixture of Aloe buttneri (Liliacae), Justicia insularis (Acanthaceae), Hibiscus macranthus (Malvaceae), and Dicliptera verticillata (Acanthaceae) has also been associated with estrogenic properties [16][17][18]. The body of evidence for the respective estrogenic properties and of the above-cited plants is summarized in l " Table 1.…”

“…Concerning the study on Erythrina poeppigiana, crude methanolic and dichloromethane extracts of the stem bark of this plant induced significant estrogenic effects on some classical estrogenic targets, namely the uterus and vagina, following a three-day uterotrophic assay with ovariectomized rats (unpublished observations). Using classic chromatographic methods, five new isoflavones derivatives, namely, 5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-3′-(3methylbuten-2-yl)isoflavone, 5,2′,4′-trihydroxy-7-methoxy-5′-(3-methylbuten-2-yl)isoflavone, 5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-3′- Lienou et al [18] (3-methyl-2-hydroxybuten-3-yl)isoflavone, 3′-formyl-5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxyisoflavone, and 5-hydroxy-3′′-hydroxy-2′′, 2′′-dimethyldihydropyrano[5′′,6′′: 3′,4′]isoflavone, as well as six known compounds, wighteone, 3′-isoprenylgenistein, isolupabigenin, alpinumisoflavone, erypoegin D, and crystacarpin, most of which are structurally related to the soy isoflavone genistein, were isolated [14]. Ligand binding assays with estrogen receptor-α and -β revealed that isoprenyl and dimethylpyrano substituents in ring A reduced the affinity of binding to ERβ approximately 100-fold compared to genistein; the isoprenyl substituent in ring B was better accommodated, allowing 3′-isoprenylgenistein to bind with ca.…”