Background: azadirachta indica is a tree with most of the parts having
various medicinal values. It is however popular because of its high
potencies, as antimalarial and anti-fertility agents, which the locals
still exploit. Objective: We investigated the effect of the methanol
leaf extract on the serum levels of the pituitary-gonad hormones and
the histo-morphology of the ovary and uterus of adult female rats.
Materials and Methods: Eighteen adult female Wistar rats were divided
into three groups (A, B and C) of six animals each. Group A was the
control group that received distilled water orally, while groups B and
C were the experimental groups that received 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of
the extract respectively by oral intubation for fourteen days. The
animals were sacrificed on the fifteenth day, and blood was collected
from the left ventricles of the hearts and subsequently spurned in
heparinized bottles for serum hormonal assay. The ovaries and the uteri
were then dissected out and preserved in Bouin’s fluid. Routine
haematoxylin and eosin method was used to stain them. Results: There
were significant (p<0.0001) lower serum levels of luteinizing
hormone (LH) in the treatment groups, especially in the 400mg/kg group,
while there were significant (p<0.0001) higher progesterone (PH)
levels in the treatment groups. The follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
levels were however not different (p=0.0502) from the control. The
histo-morphologic studies revealed no obvious pathological changes in
the ovaries and uteri of the treatment groups. Conclusion: 200mg/kg and
400mg/kg of methanol extract of the leaf of A. indica does not have any
obvious effect on the histo-morphologies of the ovary and uterus, but
showed significant changes in the serum levels of LH and PH of female
Wistar rat, implying that the effect of the extract may have been at a
level other than these organs of study