Effect of aqueous extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum on ovary of adult female Wistar rats: histological and biochemical assessment

Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken is a perennial medicinal herb from the family Crassulaceae with a wide range of biological activities such as antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic, with suggested cytotoxic effects on the testes. This study investigated the effect of aqueous leaf extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum on the histology of ovary and serum oestradiol assay of adult female wistar rats. Twenty adult female Wistar rats randomly divided into four groups (n=5) were used. Group A served as low-dose group, and received 100 mg/kg of the extract; Group B (medium dose) and Group C (high dose) received 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of the extract respectively; Group D was control and received feed and water ad libitum all by oral route. The result of this study showed a significant increase (p ˂ 0.05) in the body weight, relative fluid and food intake of the rats in all groups. Histological analysis revealed normal histological features of the ovary for rats of Group A and Group B, as well as those of the control group. However, the histology of the ovary for Group C showed oedema. Biochemical analysis of serum for oestradiol revealed no significant difference (p = 0.792) in oestradiol level between the test and control groups. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that consumption of the aqueous extract of the leaf in high doses has an important effect on the cytoarchitecture of the ovary.