ABSTRACT
In developing countries, herbal medicines have continued to remain significant and readily patronized. Numerous plants have been used historically to reduce fertility and modern scientific research has confirmed antifertility effect in some of the herbs tested. To investigate the effects of Abrus precatorius (AP) on the histology of the ovary, oviduct and uterus of female Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rat. A total of 40, 68 week old 4-day cycling female S-D rats were used. They were divided into the treatment, control and reversibility groups. The treatment and reversibility groups were fed oral AP seed extract (50 mg/kg b.w) for 32 days. A fraction of the rats in reversibility group was treated with distilled water for another 32 days. The control group were used to compare events in the other groups. At the end of the experimental durations animals were sacrificed under light chloroform anesthesia. Their ovaries, uteri and oviducts harvested for microscopic studies. Comparing the control histological sections to the treated groups: the ovaries showed decreased size, large follicular distension and extensive stromal necrosis with compromised cellularity. The uterine tubes revealed appreciable mucosal reduction. The uteri exhibited reduction in the layer of endometrial thickness. On the other hand sections in reversal experimental rats were comparable to control. The rats treated with AP seed extract at dose 50 mg/kg b.w induced reversible alterations in ovaries, uterine and uteri in S-D.
En los países en desarrollo, las hierbas medicinales siguen siendo de gran importancia y de fácil utilización. Numerosas plantas se han utilizado históricamente para reducir la fertilidad y la investigación científica moderna ha confirmado el efecto anti-fertilidad en algunas de las hierbas estudiadas. Para investigar los efectos de Abrus precatorius (AP) sobre la histología del ovario, oviducto y útero de ratas Sprague-Dawley (SD), fueron utilizadas un total de 40 ratas SD hembras de 6-8 semanas de edad en el día 4 del ciclo. Se dividieron en grupos de tratamiento, control y reversibilidad. Los grupos de tratamiento y reversibilidad se alimentaron por vía oral con el extracto de semilla de AP (50 mg/kg de peso corporal) durante 32 días. Una fracción de las ratas del grupo de reversibilidad se trató con agua destilada durante otros 32 días. El grupo de control se utilizó para comparar los eventos en los otros grupos. Al finalizar el periodo experimental los animales fueron sacrificados bajo anestesia con cloroformo. Los ovarios, útero y los oviductos fueron procesados para los estudios microscópicos. Al comparar las secciones de control histológico con los grupos tratados, los ovarios mostraron disminución del tamaño, gran distensión folicular y necrosis estromal extensa con celularidad comprometida. Las tubas uterinas revelaron una reducción apreciable de la mucosa. El útero mostró una reducción de grosor en la capa endometrial. Por otra parte, las secciones del grupo de ratas experimentales con reversibilidad fueron comparables a los de control. Las ratas tratadas con extracto de semilla de AP en dosis de 50 mg/kg de peso corporal indujeron alteraciones reversibles en los ovarios, oviductos y úteros en ratas SD.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Rats , Abrus/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Ovary , Fallopian Tubes , Uterus , Abrus/chemistry , Ovary/ultrastructure , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Fallopian Tubes/ultrastructure , Uterus/ultrastructureABSTRACT
Degraded glucomannan was isolated from Abrus precatorius Linn. seed polysaccharide (Papilionaceae). Acid hydrolysis and methylation studies produced certain degraded methyl sugars as, 2, 3, 6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucose and 2, 3, 6-tri-O-methyl-D-mannose in 1:4 molar ratio. On the basis of hydrolysis and methylation experiments, a polysaccharide structure has been assigned to the degraded glucomannan and to the parent glucomannan of Abrus precatorius Linn. seed.
Subject(s)
Abrus/chemistry , Carbohydrate Conformation , Hydrolysis , Mannans/chemistry , Methylation , Polysaccharides/analysis , Seeds/chemistryABSTRACT
A non-toxic dose of abrin, (1.25 microg/kg body wt) consecutively for five days in normal mice stimulated specific humoral responses. A noticeable increase was observed in total leucocyte count, lymphocytosis, weights of spleen and thymus, circulating antibody titre, antibody forming cells, bone marrow cellularity and alpha-esterase positive bone marrow cells. The results suggest that abrin can potentiate the humoral immune response of the host.