Effect of the aqueous extract of Senecio biafrae (Oliv. & Hiern) J. Moore on some fertility parameters in immature female rat

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Senecio biafrae is a plant from the huge family of Asteraceae used in the African pharmacopoeia for the treatment of many ailments among which is infertility. Material and methods The aqueous extract, which was primarily subjected to polyphenol analysis, has been administered to immature female rats for 20 days at 8, 32, 64 and 128 mg/kg of body weight. The day following the treatment, the animals were sacrificed; their serum, ovary and uterus were retained respectively for reproductive hormones, ovarian and uterine proteins, and ovarian cholesterol assays. Results Light body weight gain variation of treated animals was observed during the experimental period. A significant increase ( p ˂0.05) in serum estradiol and proteins as well as in uterine weight ( p ˂0.01) of all Senecio biafrae treated animals was noted. No significant variation was noticed in the ovarian weight and follicle numbers. Conclusion The various biochemical and physiological parameters of fertility were significantly improved with the aqueous extract of Senecio biafrae , thus attesting some of its traditional usage.