The estrogenic effects of Polygonum hydropiper root extract induce follicular recruitment and endometrial hyperplasia in female albino rats.

BACKGROUND

The powdered dry root of Polygonum hydropiper is widely used by a certain ethnic group of women in Assam, India, for the prevention of undesired pregnancy.

METHODS

In the present investigation, the estrogenic property of the crude root extract (CRE) of P. hydropiper [compared to estradiol-17beta (E(2)), the reference drug] was tested in ovary-intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The study was carried out by histological observations of ovarian follicles in an ovary-intact model and by histological observations of the endometrial epithelium in both OVX and ovary-intact female albino rats. Serial sections of the ovary and of the uterus were stained with routine hematoxylin-eosin and were observed under a microscope.

RESULTS

In the ovary-intact model, CRE induced follicular recruitment, while it promoted follicular atresia at a later stage. Many of the graafian follicles in the treated ovary showed pyknosis of the nuclei of granulosa and theca cells, as well as disparity in granulosa cell organization. In the uterine tissues of both ovary-intact and OVX rats, CRE induced hyperplasia in places of luminal epithelium and degeneration of endometrial glands. In OVX rats, the effect of CRE on uterine endometrium was corroborative with the effect of E(2).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral administration of the CRE of P. hydropiper significantly altered the histological structures of both ovary-intact and OVX rats.