The effect of extract of Ziziphora tenuior L. On rats with polycystic ovary syndrome trough tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)

Abstract

Background: polycystic ovary syndrome to appear by lack of chronic ovulation, systematic inflammation and hyperandrogenism, is the most common endocrine dysfunction among women of reproductively age. Ziziphora plant due to having Pulegone, flavonoid and anthocyanin, acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Tumor necrotic factor (TNF-α) is effective in regulation the normal activity of ovary. The high rate of TNF-α causes the progress of polycystic ovary syndrome. In this research, we tried to consider the effect of Ziziphora tenuior L. Extract on TNF-α and also the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome. Methods: In this particular study, a total of 60 female adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control (n=12), PCOS (n=12), and ziziphora-treated PCOS (n=36). The induction of PCOS was achieved by injecting estradiol valerate at a dosage of 2 mg/kg. The PCOS rats were further divided into control and experimental groups, with the experimental group receiving daily intraperitoneal injections of ziziphora. After a period of 60 days following the induction of the syndrome, the ovaries were collected for histological and immunohistochemical evaluation. The levels of serum IL-6 and CRP were determined using an ELISA kit. The obtained data were then analyzed using In-stat through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with a significance level of p<0.05.Results: The dissections of the ovaries revealed a significant reduction in the thickness of the granulosa layers and an increase in the number of corpus luteum in the ziziphora-treated group compared to the PCOS group. Additionally, the levels of inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and CRP significantly decreased in the groups treated with ziziphora compared to the PCOS groups. In terms of the immunohistochemical analysis, the expression of TNF-α in the granulosa layer, follicular fluid of follicles, and ovarian cysts in the PCOS group was found to be higher than that in the control group. However, the expression of this factor in the ovaries treated with ziziphora was decreased.Conclusion: This research study demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of ziziphora on PCOS may be attributed to its inhibitory effect on the expression and levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP.

Keywords: follicular fluid , ovarian cyst, granulosa layer,  TNF-α  , IL-6, immunohistochemical.