Suckling Time of Oxytocin and Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Hibiscus Sabdariffa l. to Aid Gland Evacuation

Suckling time to aid gland evacuation of oxytocin and ethyl acetate fraction of Hibiscus sabdariffa l. seed was evaluated in lactating rats. The 12 lactating rats were allocated at random to 2 treatment groups to determine the rate of suckling with the aid of oxytocin and ethyl acetate fraction H i b i s c u s s a b d a r i f f a l . The 2 treatments were 6 different suckling times of 3-96 minutes arranged in geometric progression. Each of the suckling time in the 2 treatments was applied with the aid of subcutaneous injection of 0.1 iu oxytocin immediately prior to suckling and 50mg/kg ethyl acetate fraction Hibiscus sabdariffa l. respectively. Treatments were carried out on days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 of lactation. The amount of milk sucked by the litters in the various suckling times showed that, the oxytocin enabled the pups to remove the milk more rapidly than the ethyl acetate fraction of Hibiscus sabdariffa l. Oxytocin a lactogenic hormone causes myoepithelial contraction for milk letdown through ejection reflex during lactation, while ethyl acetate fraction of Hibiscus sabdariffa l. has a relaxing effect.