Ethanolic Root Extract of Moringa Oleifera Lam Causes Histomorphological Changes in the Ovary and Uterus of Female Wistar Rats

Abstract

For several centuries, evaluation of various plant species has led to the discovery of some herbal medicaments. The plant, Moringa oleifera is typically used traditionally as a birth control agent. This study was aimed at investigating effect of ethanolic root extract of Moringaoleifera lam on the morphological and histological parameters of the ovary and uterus of female Wistar rats. Thirty (30) female adult Wistar rats used for the study were divided into six (6) groups (n = 5). Rat chow and water were provided ad libitum. A pilot study to determine the safety of the extract was carried out using the method of Miller and Tainter. The animals received oral administration of graded doses of 100mg/kg, 1000mg/kg, 2000mg/kg, 3500mg/kg and 5000mg/kg of the extract per body weight. The control group received normal saline. Daily weights of the animals were taken throughout the duration of the experiment. On day 30, the animals were sacrificed, laparotomy was carried out and the ovary and uterus were excisedfor morphological assessment and routine histological studies. Grossly, no lesions were observed and there were no obvious changes in the morphology while histologically, the ovarian tissue showed atretic follicles with tissue engorgement. The uterus showed increase in vacuolation and size of the uterine glands. This study showed that the ethanolic root extract of Moringaoleifera affected the histological framework of the ovary and uterus in a dose-dependent manner and may be the basis of its usage as a traditional anticonceptive agent.