EFFECTS OF DAUCUS CAROTA SEED EXTRACT ON REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES AND ESTROUS CYCLE IN ALBINO MICE

The use of plants for contraception and abortion is recorded throughout history, with contemporary reports from India and many other countries. Daucus carota is one of the several plants traditionally used for birth control. The present work was undertaken to evaluate the antifertility effect of the seeds of the plant by carrying out pharmacological studies with the methanolic extract of the seeds. The seeds of Daucus carota were extracted with methanol. The dried methanol extract was administered orally to an experimental group of Swiss albino mice for 21 days. The duration of the phases of the estrous cycle, changes in the levels of reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone) and the number of litters obtained were monitored and compared with the control group of the animals. Daucus carota seed extracts prolonged the estrous cycle of the experimental group of animals with a significant increase of the duration of the diestrus phase. The number of litters produced by the experimental animals was significantly less. Moreover, the extract caused an alteration in the hormone levels with significant lowering of serum estradiol level. The present study indicates that the seed extract of Daucus carota may have a reversible antifertility effect and can impair the oogenesis.