Effect of propolis supplementation on structural histomorphology of pituitary-ovarian-uterine axis in rat

Background: Propolis (PRO) is a natural animal product used in multiple applications such as wound healing, pharmaceutical products, and food production. It has high nutritional and medicinal content, and numerous biological properties, such as antioxidants (AOs) and anti-inflammatory effects. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of PRO supplementation using histomorphometric and morphological examinations on the rat liver, pituitary glands, ovaries, and uterus. Methods: Four groups (G) of albino rats were randomly assigned, with each group consisting of six rats. The groups G1, G2, G3, and G4 were administered PRO at progressively higher doses of 0, 150, 300, and 500 mg/kg body weight daily, respectively. The period of treatment was 28 days. Blood specimens were taken from the anesthetized rats’ hearts that were sacrificed during the proestrus stage. For morphological and histological analyses, the uterus, ovaries, pituitary, kidney, and liver were removed. Results: The data demonstrated significant ovarian structural and histological changes in the PRO-treated groups, including an increase in both interstitial cells and growing follicles, as well as a significant rise in the histological structures of pars distalis. The findings indicated that the G3 and G4 groups exhibited an increase in the height of the uterine luminal and glandular epithelia, as well as proliferation of the uterine glands, in contrast to the G1 and G2 groups. This study revealed that hepatorenal histomorphology is normal and that the number of Kupffer cells decreased in the treatment groups. Moreover, the serum of the G4 group had a substantially greater concentration of estradiol (E2) than that of the G1 group. In this study, non-pregnant rats’ levels of oxidative stress were decreased and their AO and total AC capabilities were raised by PRO. Conclusion: PRO induces the proliferation of the endocrine cells in the pituitary gland, as well as in ovarian and uterine tissues, as evidenced by the elevated E2 concentrations and improvement in enzymatic TAC defense in the cells.