Thu, Apr 24, 2025
Volume 20, Issue 2 (Summer & Autumn-In Press 2023)
ASJ 2023, 20(2): 0-0 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Malgwi H D, Samuel R O, Attah M O O. The Effect of Azadirachta indica A Juss (Neem) Extract on Some Female Reproductive Organs in Albino Wistar Rats: A Histologic and Morphometric Study. ASJ 2023; 20 (2)
URL: http://anatomyjournal.ir/article-1-574-en.html
URL: http://anatomyjournal.ir/article-1-574-en.html
1- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Abstract: (627 Views)
Introduction: Medicinal plants are commonly and widely used in developing countries as an alternative to orthodox therapy for several reasons, including cost, availability, and affordability. Medicinal knowledge of these plants is passed down by word of the mouth through many generations for use. The neem plant (Azadirachta indica) has been considered as one of the most important medicinal plants used worldwide with many applications in Ayurvedic medicine. In Nigeria, many women use it mainly for its anti-malarial effect. Anecdotal reports from these women suggest that they consume the extract because it is potentially harmless, hematopoietic and protects them from malaria. The present study aims to determine the effect of oral ingestion of several dosages of the aqueous extract of Azadirichta indica leaf on the histomorphology of some female reproductive organs.
Methods: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into five groups receiving an extract of A. indica at different concentrations from 100-400 mg/kg. The first group served as control, and the treatment was administered orally for 28 days for the rats in groups A to D, and 48 days for rats in group E. Rats in group E were sacrificed after another 28 days to determine if there was any reversal in the effects of the administered extract. The rats were sacrificed and the female reproductive organs were harvested and processed to obtain histological sections, which were stained, mounted, and observed. Morphological measurements of several parameters were obtained, and the results were analyzed.
Results: A. indica caused general weight loss, a decrease in the number of ovarian follicles, distorted the epithelial lining of the uterus, caused accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of the uterus, and reduced the epithelial thickness of the vagina.
Conclusion: There is adequate evidence to suggest that the extract had an adverse effect on the female reproductive tract. It could be explored as a potential prospect for developing reversible herbal contraceptives to control female fertility in mammals, although further study is required to enforce this.
Methods: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into five groups receiving an extract of A. indica at different concentrations from 100-400 mg/kg. The first group served as control, and the treatment was administered orally for 28 days for the rats in groups A to D, and 48 days for rats in group E. Rats in group E were sacrificed after another 28 days to determine if there was any reversal in the effects of the administered extract. The rats were sacrificed and the female reproductive organs were harvested and processed to obtain histological sections, which were stained, mounted, and observed. Morphological measurements of several parameters were obtained, and the results were analyzed.
Results: A. indica caused general weight loss, a decrease in the number of ovarian follicles, distorted the epithelial lining of the uterus, caused accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of the uterus, and reduced the epithelial thickness of the vagina.
Conclusion: There is adequate evidence to suggest that the extract had an adverse effect on the female reproductive tract. It could be explored as a potential prospect for developing reversible herbal contraceptives to control female fertility in mammals, although further study is required to enforce this.
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Histology
Received: 2022/04/13 | Accepted: 2023/07/26 | Published: 2024/01/20
Received: 2022/04/13 | Accepted: 2023/07/26 | Published: 2024/01/20
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Copyright © The Author(s);
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By-NC), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Contact Information
