Objective: To study the antiovulatory and abortifacient activity of the ethanolic extract of roots of
Momordica cymbalaria Fenzl.
Materials and Methods: Female Wistar albino rats (150 to 200 g) with at least three regular estrous cycles were administered ethanolic extracts of roots of
Momordica cymbalaria
Fenzl. at two doses 250 and 500 mg/kg orally for 15 days. Control group received vehicle (tween 80 1%, p.o. daily). Animals were sacrificed on 16th day. One ovary was subjected to histopathological studies and the other for biochemical studies. Abortifacient study was done in another set of three groups of animals. The extracts at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg were administered orally through gastric gavage from the day 6 to day15 of pregnancy (the period of organogenesis). The animals were laparotomised under light ether anesthesia and semi- sterile conditions on day 19th of pregnancy. Both horns of the uterus were observed for the number of implantation sites, resorptions, dead and alive foetus.
Results: Highly significant (P< .001) decrease in the duration of estrous cycle and metaestrous phase and increase in proestrous phase was seen, but diestrous phase was unchanged in both 250 and 500 mg treated group when compared to untreated group. Significant decrease in the ovarian weight and a highly significant increase in serum cholesterol with 250 mg/kg dose were seen. Histology of ovary showed an increase in preovulatory and atretic follicles. Ethanolic extract showed a dose dependent abortifacient effect in pregnant rats during organogenesis period. At 250 mg/kg ethanolic extract did not show any abortifacient activity but reduced the number of viable foetus and resorptions with no change in the foetal weight when compared with control group. At 500 mg/kg ethanolic extract showed highly significant (P< 0.001) abortifacient activity.
Conclusion: The ethanolic extract at both doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) showed antiovulatory activity. It is abortifacient at 500 mg/kg but not at 250 mg/kg.
