Effects of composite root extract on histological structures of graffian follicle and endometrial epithelium in albino rat

The estrogenic effects of Polygonum hydropiper root extract induce follicular recruitment and endometrial hyperplasia in female albino rats

INTRODUCTION

The powdered dry root of Polygonum hydropiper is widely used by a certain ethnic group of women in Assam, India, for the prevention of undesired pregnancy.

METHOD

In the present investigation, the estrogenic property of the crude root extract (CRE) of P. hydropiper [compared to estradiol-17beta (E(2)), the reference drug] was tested in ovary-intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The study was carried out by histological observations of ovarian follicles in an ovary-intact model and by histological observations of the endometrial epithelium in both OVX and ovary-intact female albino rats. Serial sections of the ovary and of the uterus were stained with routine hematoxylin-eosin and were observed under a microscope.

RESULTS

In the ovary-intact model, CRE induced follicular recruitment, while it promoted follicular atresia at a later stage. Many of the graafian follicles in the treated ovary showed pyknosis of the nuclei of granulosa and theca cells, as well as disparity in granulosa cell organization. In the uterine tissues of both ovary-intact and OVX rats, CRE induced hyperplasia in places of luminal epithelium and degeneration of endometrial glands. In OVX rats, the effect of CRE on uterine endometrium was corroborative with the effect of E(2).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral administration of the CRE of P. hydropiper significantly altered the histological structures of both ovary-intact and OVX rats.

Infertility observed in reproductive toxicity study of N-acetyl-L-cysteine in rats

The toxic effects of i.v. administration of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a component of parenteral nutrition solutions, on fertility and embryonic development were investigated in SD male and female rats at doses of 100, 300, and 1000 mg kg-1 day-1. Infertility was observed in females in the 1000-mg/kg group throughout the period from before mating to embryogenesis. No effect of NAC on the reproductive ability of the male rats was seen. The oocytes and embryos were assessed morphologically to clarify the cause of the effects of NAC. The unfertilized oocytes (UO) recovered from the ampullae of the uterine tubes and Gestational Day (GD) 1 and 2 embryos recovered from the oviducts or uterus of the rats that received NAC i.v. at a dosage of 1000 mg kg-1 day-1 for more than 1 wk before mating were assessed morphologically by stereomicroscopy. In addition, the thickness of the zona pellucida (ZP) was calculated by morphometric evaluation of the UO. Fewer UO were collected in the NAC group than in the control (nontreatment) group. Interestingly, ZP-lacking or partially ZP-lacking oocytes were observed in the NAC group, and the morphometric evaluation of the UO showed thinning of the ZP. The number of embryos in each animal was markedly decreased on GD1, and no embryos were recovered on GD2 in the NAC group. The oocytes that had ZP affected by NAC treatment were abnormal or nonviable. The findings of the present study suggest that changes in the ZP are related to the infertility associated with NAC.