Selected Toxicity Study on Ethanolic Extract of Ocimum gratissimum (Linn.) Leaves in Letrozole–induced Polycystic Ovarian Wistar Rats

Abstract

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or Stein- Leventhal syndrome is a metabolic endocrine disorder that is very common in women of reproductive age affecting approximately 2-10% of them. Although several synthetic drugs such as metformin are available for the treatment of PCOS, the side effects of the use of metformin such as lactic acidosis have continued to limit their acceptability. Thus, an alternative option of plants like Ocimum gratissimum leaves should be investigated on. The biochemical and toxicological effects of ethanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum leaves (EEOGL) at the doses of 50 and 100mg/kg body weight on letrozole-induced in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) was investigated in female Wistar rats. Twenty female Wistar rats with an average weight of (170.81±5.25g) were assigned into 5 groups (A-E) of four each: animals in group A were the control group which received rat pellets and water for 30days while the letrozole-induced rats in groups B, C, D and E also received distilled water, 7.14mg/kg body weight of metformin and 2mg/kg body weight of clomiphene citrate (reference drugs) and the same volume of the extract corresponding to 50 and 100mg/kg body weight of EEOGL respectively after which levels of some biochemical and toxicological indices were determined after each rats were sacrificed by assessing liver function indices, kidney function indices, AST, ALP, ALT data were subjected to analysis of variance and Duncan multiple Range test with statistical significance set at p<0.05. The result reveals: Nine different secondary metabolites were present in the EEOGL, the highest Phyto-components present in the EEOGL is Ethanone, 1-(6,6- dimethylbicyclo [3.1.0] hex-2-en-2-yl)- with the retention time of 11.592 and the lowest is Benzene, 4-ethenyl-1,2-dimethyl- with the retention time of 0.01, a significant increase (p<0.05) and significant decrease (p<0.05) at dose of 50mg/kg and 100mg/kg of EEOGL on kidney function indices as well as liver function indices was noticed. Therefore, the administration of EEOGL at 50 and 100 mg/kg B.W. to letrozole-induced PCOS rats shows mild alteration in the assayed biochemical indices.