HORMONAL AND HISTOMORPHOLOGIC ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CRUDE EXTRACT OF ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS LEAF ON NON- GYNAECOLOGICAL ORGANS OF VIRGIN AND MULTIPAROUS WISTAR RATS

Background: Abelmoschus esculentus, okra leaf, is an important, highly nutritious plant, especially its leaf and pods. Traditional beliefs about the fertility-enhancing property of this plant prompted an investigation into the impact of its leaf crude extract on serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, and non-gynecological histomorphology in virgin and multiparous female albino rats. Methods: Twenty adult female albino rats were equally divided into four (4) groups of virgin control, VC, virgin extract, VE, multiparous control, MC, and multiparous extract, ME. VC and MC were controls, while VE and ME were treated with 100mg/kg of the aqueous crude extract, twice daily by oral gavage for 15days. After the end of the extract administration, all female rats were bled and their serum analyzed for LH and FSH. Two (2) male rats were introduced into each cage for mating. After mating, all pregnant female rats were allowed to deliver their young ones within a gestation period of about 21-25days. The individual animal’s litter number was counted. Thereafter, the female rats were sacrificed using chloroform anesthesia, and vital organs like liver, heart, kidney, and lungs were harvested and processed histologically to observe for any histomorphological change. Results: Hormonal assay showed that LH (Mean ± S.E.M VE- 1.35±0.11, ME-1.40±0.21) and FSH (Mean ± S.E.M VE- 1.27±0.13, ME-1.31±0.12) levels in the serum were higher in VE and ME with significant difference (P<0.05). Histomorphologic sections of the liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and lungs showed same intact histological structures as those of the controls. Conclusion: In conclusion, crude leaf extract of Abelmoschus esculentus increases litter size with corresponding effect on LH and FSH, and therefore said to have a fertility-boosting effect on the female wistar rats.