Antifertile and Estrogenic Effects of Sida acuta Root on Experimental Animal Models

Background: Herbal medications have been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine to reduce fertility in several regions. Among them, Sida acuta (S. acuta) is a traditional herb having antifertility effects with other broad medicinal properties. In this work, it was studied for its effect on fertility in female rats. Objective: The purpose of this research was to conduct effectiveness and safety investigations on S. acuta root, an antifertility plant widely used in Asian countries. Methods: Fertile albino Wistar female rats (200-250 gm) were used for antifertility investigations. The animals were separated into four groups, each with six members, and treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg of the methanolic extract in combination with Ethinyl Estradiol (0.3 mg/kg body weight) as per schedule. They all took place for seven days. On the 8th day, every positive rat was decapitated under ether anesthesia, and the uterus and surrounding tissues were taken from it for fast weight measurement. Results: The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, and flavonoids as secondary metabolites. RP-HPLC analysis was used to determine the concentration of colchicine in S. acuta roots extract, and it was found to have a retention period of 7.35 minutes. The female Wistar rats treated with S. acuta root study showed that the litter weight of the experimental group with MESA (200) was 42.13 ± 0.77 and MESA (400) was 18.53 ± 0.94 lower than the control group 61.5 ± 0.29 which reveals that there was a decrease in litter weight, indicating the potential antifertility activity of the experimental group. It was shown that the extract was more effective in reducing the number of litters born (50 percent) and causing considerable anti-implantation activity (3.29) than the control in postcoital testing. The uterotrophic response was less pronounced than that elicited by ethinylestradiol alone when the extract was administered simultaneously (p<0.01). The estrogenic activity of the extract was, therefore, low at the contraceptive dosage level when taken alone. Both ethinylestradiol and these compounds, on the other hand, showed considerable antiestrogenic properties. Conclusion: The methanolic extract of S. acuta root showed significant antifertility effects and was found to be safe when used at the effective dosages found in this research.