Comparison of the Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Ginseng Root with Metformin in Rats with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Background & aim: Polycystic ovary PCOS is considered as the most common cause of infertility in women. Due to the side-effects of chemical drugs such as metformin, which is used to treat this disorder, the purpose of this paper was to study the effect of metformin with Ginseng root in this disease treatment.  Methods: In the present experimental study, 50 adult female rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham PCOS (treated with letrozole) and three experimental groups receiving metformin (500mg/kg), ginseng extracts (500mg/kg) and metformin with Ginseng. All administrations were done as gavage for 28 days. Then, blood samples were taken to measure FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone hormones in animals, follicle ovaries were removed and the tissue sections were counted. The collected data were analyzed via ANOVA and Duncan tests. Results: The results indicated that letrozole caused a significant increase in the serum level of testosterone, LH, cystic follicles number and the animals’ weight but a significant decrease in estrogen, progesterone and ovarian follicles were seen in comparison with the control group (p≤0.001). But, in rats treated with letrozole, administration of metformin and Ginseng alone and together caused to prevent the effects of this drug on serum level of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, LH, and cystic-ovarian follicles. No significant difference between the effects of metformin and ginseng was observed.  Conclusion: By making PCOS Letrozole causes increase in weight gain, testosterone, LH and cystic follicles and a decrease in ovarian follicles and ginseng, but metformin and ginseng alone and together prevent the effects of this drug.

Keywords

• PCOS
• Letrozole
• Metformin
• Ginseng extracts
• Rat