Effect of methanolic crude extract of Aframomum melegueta (A.m) seeds on selected lactogenic hormones of Albino rats.

The search for alternative control of excessive milk secretion associated with exclusive breast feeding necessitated this study. This study was designed to investigate the effect of methanolic crude extract of Aframomum melegueta (A.m) seed by measuring serum concentrations of selected lactogenic (prolactin, estradiol and progesterone) hormones in lactating and non-lactating Albino rats. A total of 18 non-lactating and lactating rats each were assigned into three (3) treatments of 6 rats each. Treatment 1 and 2 (controls) received 0.11 mg/kg/day of reference drug (bromocriptine) and 100 mg/kg/day of Dimethylsulfoxide (Dmso) 1 ml:9 ml of normal saline which is referred to as normal control in this study. Treatment 3 received 100 mg/kg/day of A.m methanolic crude extract. Serum samples were collected and analyzed for prolactin, estradiol and progesterone by ELISA techniques. The result obtained showed a 21.13% and 25.12% significant (P<0.05) reduction in serum concentration of prolactin for both non-lactating (26.15±0.15 ng/ml) and lactating (14.90±1.16 ng/ml) rats relative to (33.23±1.82 and 19.90±1.16 ng/ml) normal control rats but a significant (P<0.05) increase (26.15±0.15 ng/ml; 14.90±1.16 ng/ml) in serum levels of the same hormone relative to (12.56±0.89 ng/ml; 10.56±0.29 ng/ml) reference control drug (bromocriptine) in both groups. Serum estradiol levels were significantly (P<0.05) reduced by methanol extract relative to normal control rats in both groups. There was however, no significant (P>0.05) changes in serum levels of estradiol relative to reference control drugs in both rats. Serum levels of progesterone were not significantly altered in both groups relative to normal control rats. The above findings confer on the extract antilactogenic capability and hence a good alternative to bromocriptine.