The Effects of Ricinus Communis and Jatropha Curcas Seed Aqueous Extracts on the Histology of Uterus and Ovary in Mice
Creators: name: Tolera, Amenu
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2004

description: In developing countries, the problem of population explosion is still a major issue. To combat this issue, many approaches were tried, but the contraception method through explorations of medicinal plants and their mechanism of action on reproductive tissues was found to be more plausible. To this effect, a histological study on the effects of Ricinus communis and Jatropha curcas seed aqueous extract on the reproductive tissues (uterus and ovaries) was done in this study. The fresh air dried seeds of R.communis and J.curcas were employed in the study. The J. curcas and R.communis seed aqueous extracts were daily administered by gavage to the experimental groups in a doses of therapeutic (1.5 g/kg and 0.02 g/kg), sub-toxic (3 g/kg and 0.04 g/kg), and toxic (6 g/kg and 0.08 g/kg) body weight, respectively, to virgin Swiss Albino Mice for 7 days. The standard groups were treated subcutaneously with a standard drug, Estradiol Benzoate (0.1mg/kg body weight per day) for the same period. The body weight of the mice was recorded daily and they were all sacrificed on the 8th day under Diethyl Ether anesthesia. The uterus and ovaries were dissected out, cleaned of surrounding tissues and weighed on a semi-microbalance sensitive to 0.00 mg and effect of the extracts on the weights of the genital organ weight was recorded. The tissues were fixed in Boun`s Fixative, and histological tissue processing for light microscopy was performed. Histomorphometric analysis of the epithelial cell height, endometrial thickness, myometrial thickness of the uterus, and the number of ovarian corpus luteum and atretic follicles were examined. For histopathological diagnosis, stereological studies of the uterine endometrial gland volume densities were also carried out. xii No statistically significant (P &lt;0.05) difference in body weight among treatment groups was observed. The genital organs weights of the experimental groups were decreased significantly (P &lt;0.05) in a dose dependent manner in contrast to those who received the standard drug as compared to the control mice. Histological observation of the uterus revealed normal structure in the control mice. A dose dependent decrease in epithelial cell height, endometrial thickness, and myometrial thickness (P &lt;0.01) in both extracts was seen showing the weak estrogenic and strong anti-estrogenic effects of the extracts. Complex endometrial hyperplasia was observed at toxic dose of R.communis seed aqueous extract but not with J. curcas. In the ovaries of experimental groups, histological investigation showed a dose dependent increase in the number of atretic follicles but decrease in the number of corpus luteum (P &lt; 0.05) and an opposite observation in the standard groups as compared to the control mice. The volume densities of the endometrial gland (epithelium and lumen) were decreased but that of the stroma was increased (P &lt;0.05) significantly at the toxic dose of R.communis. From this study, it can be concluded that the effects of these anti-fertility agents on the uterus and ovaries were through the negative feed back mechanism by causing hormonal disturbance in estrogen and progesterone ratio at hypothalamo-hypophyseal-ovarian- uterine axis and /or by direct action on the uterus and ovaries via inhibition prostaglandin synthesis or desensitization of follicular or steroid hormone receptors. xiii Further studies need to be perused on the histochemistry and determination of glycogen content, at all doses of the seed aqueous extracts, of both medicinal plants on the reproductive tissues. It is also worth investigating the same parameters of these anti-fertility agents with organic solvents extract of the seeds. Keywords: Ricinus communis, Jatropha curcas, uterus, ovaries, anti-fertility agents, Swiss Albino Mice, complex endometrial hyperplasia.