Resumen

OKOKO, Ini-Ibehe Essien  y  YAMA, Oshiozokhai Eboetse. Cytoarchitectural Variations in the Ovary, Oviduct and Uterus Following Intra-Gastric Gavages of Abrus precatorius Linn in Albino Rats. Int. J. Morphol. [online]. 2011, vol.29, n.4, pp. 1408-1413. ISSN 0717-9502.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-95022011000400057.

In developing countries, herbal medicines have continued to remain significant and readily patronized. Numerous plants have been used historically to reduce fertility and modern scientific research has confirmed antifertility effect in some of the herbs tested. To investigate the effects of Abrus precatorius (AP) on the histology of the ovary, oviduct and uterus of female Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rat. A total of 40, 6­8 week old 4-day cycling female S-D rats were used. They were divided into the treatment, control and reversibility groups. The treatment and reversibility groups were fed oral AP seed extract (50 mg/kg b.w) for 32 days. A fraction of the rats in reversibility group was treated with distilled water for another 32 days. The control group were used to compare events in the other groups. At the end of the experimental durations animals were sacrificed under light chloroform anesthesia. Their ovaries, uteri and oviducts harvested for microscopic studies. Comparing the control histological sections to the treated groups: the ovaries showed decreased size, large follicular distension and extensive stromal necrosis with compromised cellularity. The uterine tubes revealed appreciable mucosal reduction. The uteri exhibited reduction in the layer of endometrial thickness. On the other hand sections in reversal experimental rats were comparable to control. The rats treated with AP seed extract at dose 50 mg/kg b.w induced reversible alterations in ovaries, uterine and uteri in S-D.

Palabras llave : Abrus precatorius; Sprague-Dawley rat; Ovaries; Uteri; Oviducts.