RESUMEN
Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), as the first-line management of chronic menopausal syndrome (CMS) in women, has limited application due to adverse effects. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a herbal alternative (HALT), durva swaras (DS) of Cynodon dactylon L. Pers., in a CMS rat model. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to Sham and ovariectomy (OVX) surgery. OVX rats received either 0.11 mg/kg oestrogen as a positive treatment control or 1 (DS1), 2 (DS2), and 4 (DS3) g/kg DS for 160 days. Vaginal smear tests indicated the menopausal status. Routine clinical examinations, weekly body weights (BW), serum calcium, proinflammatory cytokines, and reproductive hormones levels were monitored. Clinical chemistry, body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), uterotrophic response, bone morphometry, and histopathology of major organs were evaluated. BW of OVX rats increased by 18-25% compared to Sham. Total fat and fat percentage were significantly elevated in the oestrogen group compared to DS2, DS3, and OVX group. DS treatment groups showed the levels of TNF- α was slightly reduced, while IL-1ß and IL-6 levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) compared to the oestrogen treated group. DS treatment restored serum calcium levels, while BMD, bone quality, osteoblast/osteoclast ratio, and collagen levels improved in both DS and oestrogen treatment groups. The uterotrophic assay demonstrated non-oestrogenic activity of DS. Endometrial hyperplastic change was observed in oestrogen-treated rats. The preclinical non-oestrogenic activity of DS has therapeutic potential in CMS through anti-inflammatory and osteo-protective effects. Further clinical research into DS, as a viable HALT to HRT, is required.