PREVENTIVE ROLE OF OCIMUM BASILICUM AGAINST CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE INDUCED PRIMORDIAL FOLLICULAR ATROPHY IN ADULT FEMALE ALBINO RATS

Saba Saleem; Hadia Zulfiqar; Arooj Nawaz; Mehak Shafiq; Noor Ijaz; Kanwal Sharif

doi:10.51642/ppmj.v36i04.801

Saba Saleem Central Park Medial College Lahore
Hadia Zulfiqar Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore
Arooj Nawaz Azra Naheed Medical College, Lahore
Mehak Shafiq Central Park Medical College, Lahore
Noor Ijaz Ameer-ud-din Medical college, lahore
Kanwal Sharif Continental Medical College, Lahore

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51642/ppmj.v36i04.801

Keywords: Cyclophosphamide, Anti-cancerous alkaloid, oxidative stress, Antioxidant, Primordial follicular atrophy, Ocimum Basilicum

Abstract

Background: Cyclophosphamide, the alkylating chemotherapeutic drug is commonly used in treatment against wide variety of carcinomas. This drug has known antifertility effects on gonads of young female patients. A natural herb known as Ocimum Basilicum has been found rich in polyphenols and is known to significantly improve fertility because its strong antioxidant potential.

Objectives: To assess the preventive ability of the natural herb, Ocimum basilicum extract against atrophic changes induced by cyclophosphamide in primordial follicles.

Methods: Total number of female albino rats used was 45. All were evenly distributed into three groups: Group A was control, group B and group C were experimental. There were 15 rats present in each one of these groups. On the 8th day of the experiment, rats in group A were administered a single intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (150 mg/kg). Group B rats were administered, on day 8 of experiment, a single intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg). Rats in group C were fed with methanolic extract of basil seeds for 7 days. After that, rats were injected with a single intraperitoneal dose (150 mg/kg) of cyclophosphamide on day 8. The rats were euthanized and dissected after 48 hours of administration of cyclophosphamide.

Results: Results showed the significant improvement in state of primordial follicles between groups B and C (p-value 0.003), in terms of number of rats showing atrophic primordial follicles i.e., 11 rats (80%) in experimental group B and only 4 (26.7%) in experimental group C.