Abstract
The effect of some traditionally extracted edible seed oils (sesame, peanut and melon oils) on some sex hormones - prolactin, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) of albino Wistar rats was studied. Sixty (30 - 50 g) weanling rats (20 males and 40 females) were purchased and housed separately until they weighed 120 to 150 g. Afterwards, the rats were cohabited in a mating ratio of 1 male : 2 females respectively, to give rise to 10 groups (n = 6), and fed rat chow (control), rat chow supplemented with 5, 10 and 20% sesame oil, 5, 10 and 20% peanut oil or 5, 10 and 20% melon oils, respectively. The animals were observed and pregnant females were separated into individual cages, allowed to litter and after weaning; the parent male and female rats were sacrificed and blood samples collected for hormonal assays. The results indicate that 5 and 10% supplemented seed oils caused significant increase (p < 0.05) in prolactin level (with a corresponding decrease in progesterone), LH, estradiol and testosterone relative to the controls. This favourable impact on endocrine environment suggests that the consumption of these seed oils, especially sesame oil, may enhance fertility. Key words: Sesame oil, peanut oil, melon oil, sex hormones.
Highlights
The term seed oils refer generally to vegetable oils obtained from the seeds of food plants, rather than the fruit
Sesamum indicum originated from tropical Africa (RMRDC, 2004) and is cultivated in the middle belt and some northern states of Nigeria (Olanyanju et al, 2006); the seeds constitute a staple food among many ethnic groups in Nigeria
The total number of litters produced was highest in sesame oil supplemented group (55), followed by peanut oil group (26) and melon oil fed group produced the lowest number of litters (12)
Summary
The term seed oils refer generally to vegetable oils obtained from the seeds (endosperm) of food plants, rather than the fruit (pericarp). The oil-seed-bearing plants are usually grown for the economic and nutritional importance of the oils extracted therefrom; a few serve for food or textile fibers production, in which case oil is obtained only as a by-product. Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil extracted from sesame seeds ( known as beniseed in Nigeria), produced by the sesame plant (Sesamum indicum). Sesamum indicum (family Pedaliacea) originated from tropical Africa (RMRDC, 2004) and is cultivated in the middle belt and some northern states of Nigeria (Olanyanju et al, 2006); the seeds constitute a staple food among many ethnic groups in Nigeria. The seeds are either eaten fresh, dried, fried or as a blend with sugar; as well as a paste in some traditional soups
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