RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Xylopia aethiopica is a common plant in West Africa, with wide applications in trado-medical management of several diseases. Thus, our study aimed to analyze the histology and hormonal effects of ethanol extracts of Xylopia aethiopica seeds on cadmium chloride-induced reproductive dysfunction in female Wistar rats. METHODS: We used twenty-five rats weighing 120-150g for this study. The rats were divided into five groups (n=5). Group 1: received only distilled water orally; Group 2: received 2 mg/kg cadmium chloride orally; Group 3: received 2 mg/kg cadmium chloride plus 50 mg/kg Xylopia aethiopica seeds orally; Group 4: received 2 mg/kg cadmium chloride plus 100 mg/kg Xylopia aethiopica seeds orally, and Group 5: received 100 mg/kg Xylopia aethiopica seeds only, orally. We administered the extracts for 14 days, after which we slaughtered the animals following chloroform anesthesia. We took the blood samples by cardiac puncture for hormonal assay. The ovaries and uterus were harvested for histology. We analyzed the data using ANOVA, and the differences in mean values were considered significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: The body weight of the rats showed a dose-dependent reduction (p<0.05), compared with the controls. Xylopia aethiopica seeds significantly (p<0.05) reversed the detrimental effects of Cadmium on LH and FSH. The histological analysis of the ovary showed significant improvement upon treatment with Xylopia aethiopica extract in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: The ameliorative effects of Xylopia aethiopica against cadmium chloride-induced reproductive toxicity in female Wistar rats may be attributed to its antioxidant properties.