Boerhavia diffusa (BED) which belongs to the family Nyctaginaceae is found in India and Nigeria and
is commonly known as Punarnava which means rejuvenates or renews the body. Boerhavia diffusa leaf has been used in folkloric medicine for the treatment of diverse ailments such
as elephantiasis, night blindness and corneal ulcers, malaria, abdominal pain, jaundice,
inflammation, as well as to treat infertility etc. This study assesses the estrogenic
activity of ethanol extract of BED leaf in Cisplatin-induced infertility in female
Wistar rats. Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic drug used for the treatment of numerous
human cancers, however with induction of infertility as one of its downsides. Twenty-four
female albino rats weighing between 100 – 200 g were used for this study. They were
distributed into five groups where the first group served as the control. The animals
in group two received an intraperitoneal dose of Cisplatin (5 mg kg-1 body weight). Animals in groups three and four received a combination of BED ethanolic
extract (100 mg kg-1, 200 mg kg-1 body weight) and Cisplatin (5 mg kg-1 body weight) while animals in group five received an oral dose of BED ethanolic extract
only (100 mg kg-1 body weight) for 14 days. At the end of the study period, two rats from groups 2,
3 and 4 were separated and mated with a male rat and blood samples were collected
for hormonal analysis. After 8 weeks no pregnancy was achieved demonstrating that
cisplatin can cause irreversible infertility.
A decrease in estradiol level (p < 0.05) in the treated groups was observed compared
to control which may be an indication that Boerhavia diffusa possess anti-estrogenic
properties.
