EFFECTS OF HYDROETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF THE SEEDS OF SESAMUM INDICUM ON HORMONAL LEVELS OF FEMALE WISTAR RATS

Abstract

Fertility regulation with plants or plant preparations has been reported in the ancient literature of indigenous systems
of medicine. The role of estrogen in female reproduction makes it to be a very important hormone whose level in the
body has to be carefully regulated. Some traditional herbs consumed by females knowingly or unknowingly alter the
levels of this hormone and other important aspects of the reproductive system. This might lead to beneficial effects
by boosting the fertility level or produce anti-fertility effects. Sesamum indicum is one of the phytoestrogen containing
edible seeds consumed by man as food and for medicinal purposes. Present study evaluated the mean lethal dose of
the hydroethanolic seed extract of Sesamum indicum and the effects of the extract on some hormonal levels of female
Wistar rats. Cycling female rats weighing 120-140g were used for the studies. For the hormonal level study, the extract
was administered orally to three (3) experimental groups of five (5) female rats at doses of 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg
once daily for 30 days while control group received distilled water at dose of 1ml/kg for 30 days. The animals were
subsequently euthanized in the morning of the day after the last administration. The serum estrogen concentration was
significantly lower (p<0.05) in 300 mg/kg group than in 100 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg groups and the control rats. The
mean serum progesterone level showed relatively lower values in 300 mg/kg group than the 100 and 500 mg/kg groups
and the control rats. It is therefore concluded that hydroethanolic seeds extract of S. indicum possess both anti- and
pro-estrogenic properties in a dose-dependent fashion in adult female Wistar rats.