The Effect of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense Aqueous Extracts on the in Vivo Expression Profile of Lipid and Sex Hormones

Aim: The study investigated the effect of aqueous extract of Piper guineense and Nigella sativa on Testosterone, Estrogen and Follicle stimulating hormone levels in male and female rats induced by diets supplemented with high dose of sucrose and margarine for four (4) week.

Materials and Methods: Thirty male and female Wistar rats of average weight (100 g) were used for the study. The rats were arranged into five groups with six rats in each of the groups. The rats had access to their normal feed but sucrose and margarine were used to induce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia respectively on the rats with the exception of the rats in the positive control group. The rats in the negative control were induced using the sucrose and margarine but were not treated using the aqueous extracts. The rats in the Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of Piper guineense aqueous leaf extract, while the rats in the Nigella sativa group were treated with 2 ml of Nigella sativa aqueous extract. The rats in the Nigella sativa and Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of the combined aqueous extract.

Results: The results showed that the extracts had an increasing effect which was time dependent on the hormones. The highest increase was obtained on the third week of feeding when compared to the control. The testosterone levels (mlU/ml) showed for the, positive control (2.28 ± 0.08), uziza leaf (6.45 ± 0.01), black seed (2.85 ± 0.01), black seed &uziza (8.47 ± 0.08)(p<0.05). The increase for estrogen levels (mlU/ml) showed for the positive control (99 ± 0.82), uziza leaf (98 ± 1.63), black seed (100 ± 1.63), black seed & uziza (113 ± 0.82). Furthermore, the extracts also had an increasing effect on the follicle stimulating hormone levels with the highest increase obtained on the third week (p>0.05). The FSH levels (mlU/ml)) showed for the positive control (0.23 ± 0.01), uziza leaf 0.25 ± 0.01), black seed (0.54 ± 0.02), black seed & uziza (0.58 ± 0.01)(p<0.05).

Histopathological findings also suggest that treatment with the aqueous extracts of P.guineense and N .sativa after inducement salvaged the testes and ovaries when compared to the induced group after the second week of administration. Although the combined mixture N.sativa and P.guineense extract was more effective.

Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that the aqueous extract of a combined mixture of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense might be an effective plant in indigenous medicine, which may be used to combat infertility caused by hormonal imbalance.