Abstract
Aim
We examined whether the aqueous extract of Erythrina falcata, reputed to be a contraceptive in Peruvian folklore, could prevent pregnancy in the
mouse.
Methods
Female mice on Day 1 of pregnancy were given aqueous extract of E. falcata or tap water (control) orally for 4 days. On Day 4 of pregnancy, animals were killed
and the embryos were flushed from oviducts and uterus to examine their developmental
stage, cell number, mitotic index and micronuclei frequency. Other mice were killed
on Day 12 of pregnancy to determine the number of implantation sites.
Results
Ingestion of E. falcata diminished the percentage of embryos that progressed to blastocyst stage, reduced
the cell number and mitotic index, and increased the micronuclei frequency of early
embryos. The number of implantation sites was also reduced in females treated with
E. falcata.
Conclusion
The aqueous extract of E. falcata, ingested during early pregnancy, disturbs preimplantation embryo development and
implantation in the mouse. These results provide the first experimental evidence of
the contraceptive properties of the aqueous extract of E. falcata.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 24, 2005
Accepted:
August 15,
2005
Received in revised form:
August 11,
2005
Received:
July 29,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
