Edible Birds Nest (ebn) Therapy Against Indomethacin (imc) Induced Reproductive Dysfunction In Rats

Abstract

Infertility in mammals can occur due to a single or as multifactorial problem. Among the factors that can lead to infertility include toxic chemicals which are sometimes named as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) and have been linked with reproductive development disorders, ovarian dysfunction,and subfertility. The EDCs can be derived from various sources which include pharmaceutical products. Indomethacin (IMC), used as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a pharmaceutical product reported to be embryotoxic leading to disruption of implantation process when given at doses higher than the therapeutic limit for human and useful to produce embryo implantation dysfunction model rats for research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of EBN against the toxic effect of IMC on embryo implantation and steroid hormones in Sprague Dawley rats. A total 30 female rats equally divided into five groups [G1 - untreated control, G2- positive control (IMC 4.33 mg/kg bwt), G3, G4, and G5 with combinations of IMC 4.33 mg/kg dose and graded doses of EBN 60, 90, and120 mg/kg bwt, respectively] underwent treatment for 8 weeks and exposed to breeding. All rats were then sacrificed to examine the uterus for implantation sites and analyse reproductive hormones from blood samples using ELISA. Compared to the treatment groups, G2 with IMC showed a considerable reduction in embryo implantation rate (P< 0.05) compared to G1 and all other EBN treated groups except G3, while G5 with 120 mg/kg EBN dose resulted the highest fertility index. Meanwhile analyses for steroid hormones revealed a dose dependant increase in concentration with a significant rise in level noticed with G5 (120 mg/kg bwt). In conclusion, the study revealed significant embryo attrition rate and hormone imbalance with IMC toxicity that appeared to be mitigated by EBN treatment, most effectively at a dose of 120mg/kg bwt supplement. Keywords: Edible Bird’s Nest, embryo implantation, Indomethacin, steroid hormones, rats