Histopathological Effects of Ethanol Khaya grandifoliola Leaf Extract on Reproductive Organs of Wistar Rats

Abstract

Khaya grandifoliola (Meliaceae) is widely used in West African traditional medicine for reproductive health, but the reproductive safety of its leaf extract remains uncharacterized, unlike the documented toxicity of Khaya senegalensis stem bark. This study evaluated the histopathological effects of ethanol Khaya grandifoliola leaf extract on the testes, ovaries, and uterus of adult Wistar rats. Thirty‐two rats (16 male, 16 female) were divided into four groups of eight: a negative control receiving distilled water and three groups receiving 100, 200, or 500mg/kg/day of extract orally for 28 days. Phytochemical screening confirmed limonoids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and anthraquinones, with flavonoids (13.79%) and alkaloids (10.2%) most abundant. Body weight, organ weight, organ coefficient, and haematoxylin and eosin‐stained sections were evaluated at the end of treatment. Seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells, ovarian follicular architecture, and uterine myometrial/endometrial architecture remained intact at all doses, with no necrosis, haemorrhage, architectural collapse, or cellular atypia. Findings in the ovaries and uterus were comparable between treated and control animals, consistent with normal physiological variation. One‐way ANOVA revealed no significant between‐group differences in body weight, organ weight or coefficient, testicular morphometry, uterine histology scores, or ovarian follicle count. These results indicate that ethanol Khaya grandifoliola leaf extract did not induce structural damage to reproductive organs even at the highest dose tested (500 mg/kg/day for 28 days), suggesting that the reported toxicity of Khaya may be specific to the plant part rather than a genus‐wide property.