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ABSTRACT
Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) is a versatile tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, now grown globally in tropical and subtropical regions. It is one of Nigeria's most common native tropical plants known by most as neem, it is also known as "Akum-shut-up" in Ibo and "Dogoyaro" in Hausa. Studying neem's impact on the estrous cycle and ovaries is justified by its traditional use for reproductive health, driving the need for scientific validation. If its efficacy is confirmed, it could spur the development of novel contraceptive methods and reproductive disorder treatments. Given neem's widespread use, safety concerns warrant thorough investigation. Using Wistar rats as a model allows for controlled studies to understand neem's mechanisms and potential effects before human trials, providing valuable insights. The aim of this research was to comprehensively analyse the effect of Ethanolic Neem leaf extract on the estrous cycle and ovaries of female wistar rats. 15 female wistar rats were divided into the following groups; Group 1:control: standard diet; normal rat chow and tap water.Group 2: Standard diet; Alcohol Neem leaves extract (200mg/kg/bw/day) for 28 days, Group 3: Standard diet;Alcohol Neem leaves extract (300mg/kg/bw/day) for 28 days. Female Wistar rats were used as the animal model due to their suitability for reproductive research and genetic uniformity. 200mg/kg bw of alcohol neem extract was administered to Group 2, and 300mg/kg bw of alcohol neem extract was administered to Group 3. The alcohol (ethanolic) neem plant extract was administered for a period of 28 days. After the treatment period, rats are euthanized humanely by anesthesia(Chloroform), and their ovaries were collected for histological examination. Also during treatment, vaginal smears were collected to assess effects on the estrous cycle. Results showed that the administration of alcohol neem leaves extract had the effect of elongating the duration of the estrous cycle, increasing general ovarian weight in both test groups and decreases follicular development. In conclusion, it is established that the administration of alcoholic extract of Neem leaves causes increase in the duration of the estrous cycle by prolonging the diestrus phase, and also results in an increase in ovarian weight and decrease in follicular development. Further studies are needed in both primates and humans, to find out if Neem plant will have similar effects observed in the rodents.
