EFFECT OF STRYCHNOS POTATORUM LINN ON REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION IN FEMALE DIABETIC RATS

Objective: During the reproductive years, diabetes has been associated with menstrual abnormalities, sexual dysfunction and increases infertility rates among females. Strychnos potatorum Linn (S. P. Linn) has been recognized as antidiabetic drug as an Ayurveda medicine. This study was done to estimate whether S. P. Linn can control diabetes and prevent diabetes related complication in the reproductive system of female rats. Method: Experiments were carried out on 36 inbred female rats (150-200 gm) for studying the effect of the indigenous plant product on diabetic animal model. Six animals per cage were housed at room temperature with standard laboratory rodent pellet diet and water was allowed ad libitum. All animals were made diabetic by a single intraperitoneal Streptozotocin (STZ) injection at 40 mg/kg body weight, and then divided into six groups. Fasting blood sugar was estimated at biweekly interval. All the animals were sacrificed after three months. Uterus with fallopian tube and ovary were separated & weighed after sacrificing the animal on day 90.  Ovary and vagina was collected for histopathological studies. Result: In the present study, S. P. Linn as an established insulinogenic hypoglycemic plant has reverted the reproductive dysfunction of the study animals. The results suggest that STZ-induced diabetic rats showed a significant reduction in weight of uterus with fallopian tube (p< 0.01) and ovary (p< 0.01). S. P. Linn, the test drug and Glipizide the standard hypoglycaemic drug were found to increase the uterus with fallopian tube and ovarian weight significantly (p < 0.01) in diabetic female rats. Conclusions: S. P. Linn has antidiabetic action on female diabetic rats. It significantly increased uterus with fallopian tube and ovarian weight in diabetic female rats which significantly get shrinked in diabetic state and probably reduced or revert the reproductive dysfunction of female diabetic rats.