Phytochemical Profile, Safety and Efficacy of a Herbal Mixture Used for Contraception by Traditional Health Practitioners in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, South Africa.

Molelekwa Arthur Moroole,Cor Bester,Rose Hayeshi,Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu,Wilfred Otang-Mbeng,Simeon Albert Materechera

doi:10.3390/plants11020193

Molelekwa Arthur Moroole, Cor Bester + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11020193

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Abstract

The use of medicinal plants for contraception remains a common practice among South African ethnic groups. The present study assessed the phytochemical profile, cytotoxicity, acute oral toxicity and efficacy of a herbal mixture used for contraception by the Batswana of South Africa. An aqueous extract was prepared from equal quantities (in terms of weight) of Bulbine frutescens (roots), Helichrysum caespititium (leaves) and Teucrium trifidum (leaves) based on a recipe used by traditional health practitioners. The phytochemical profiles of the freeze-dried herbal mixture were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, cytotoxicity was determined using an MTT assay on Vero cells and in vivo contraceptive efficacy was evaluated using seven Sprague Dawley rats per control and treatment groups. The control group received distilled water while test groups received 5, 50 and 300 mg/kg of the herbal mixture, which was administered orally once a day for three consecutive days. Subsequently, female rats were paired 1:1 with males for 3 days. Their weights were measured weekly and incidence of pregnancy was recorded. The GC-MS chromatogram revealed the presence of 12 identified and 9 unidentified compounds. In terms of safety, the herbal mixture had an IC50 value of 755.2 μg/mL and 2000 mg/kg, which was the highest tested dose that caused no mortality or morbidity in the rats. A contraceptive efficacy of 14.5% was exerted with 50 mg/kg herbal mixture extract while other doses had no effects given that all the rats were pregnant. Based on a chi-square test (p < 0.05), there was no correlation between the tested herbal mixture doses and contraception, nor on the weight of the rats. Overall, the herbal mixture extract was found to be safe but had limited contraceptive efficacy at the tested doses. In future studies, exploring increased dose range, solvent extract types and hormonal analysis will be pertinent.

Highlights

The potential of various parts and extracts of medicinal plants as contraceptive agents is gaining increasing interest [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Our findings revealed that the IC50 value of the herbal mixture was higher than for Helichrysum caespititium, including some medicinal plants used for contraception in South Africa
A preliminary phytochemical profile of the tested herbal mixture used as a contraceptive among indigenous people was generated

Summary

Introduction

The potential of various parts and extracts of medicinal plants as contraceptive agents is gaining increasing interest [1,2,3,4,5,6]. On the basis of existing anecdotal evidence, researchers have explored natural resources, including plants, as alternative to conventional conceptive [3,7,8]. As an indication of the unlocked potential in medicinal plants, recent studies have efficiently established Azadirachta indica as an effective contraceptive agent [9]. In African societies, the use of plants for purposes of regulating fertility has been practiced for centuries, thereby highlighting their potential as contraceptives [7,10]. Similar evidence on the dependence on plants and associated herbal products has been reported in several African countries such as Gambia [12], Nigeria [13], South

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