Kigelia africana improves libido in phenyl hydrazine induced anaemic female Wistar rats

Background and Objective: Anaemia is a global public health challenge affecting adolescent girls, women of reproductive age, pregnant women and children in low and middle income countries. This study therefore was designed to evaluate the effect of extract of Kigelia africana on female sexual hormones following phenyl hydrazine induced anaemia.

Materials and Methods: This research work was carried out using twenty five (25) female Wistar rats. The experimental rats were randomly divided into five (5) groups, with five animals per group .Group A served as Normal control (non-anaemic control), group B: Anaemic control(induced with phenyhdrazine) without treatment ,group C; anaemic rats treated with feroton (Standard control), group D; Anaemic rats co-administered with 200mg/kg petroleum ether leaf extract Kigelia africana extract (PETLETKG1), and group E; Anaemic rats treated with 200mg/kg between petroleum ether leaf extract Kigelia africana extract (PETLETKG2) .All administrations were done orally using oropharyngeal cannula once per day for 14 days (2 week). Blood was collected by cardiac puncture using disposable syringe and needle to draw blood into plane sterile tubes. Thereafter, the samples were analyzed using standard methods.

Results: The result depicts the significant (p<0.05) increase in serum follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, progesterone, oestrogen when compared with both normal and standard control. More so, the petroleum ether extract of K. africana showed no significant (P<0.05) difference on L.H hormone when compared with both the standard and the normal control. Contrastingly, the extract of K. africana decreases serum testosterone significantly (P<0.05) when compared with both the standard and normal control.

Conclusion: The result suggests that the extract might be useful in improving the sexual health and libido of female animals following phenyl hydrazine induced anaemia.