Abstract

A. P Ekanem*, F. V. Udoh and E. E. Oku

The effects of Piper guineense seeds (Piperaceae) on conception of mice ( Mus musculus) were investigated. Thirty sexually mature mice (3 weeks old) were distributed in plastic cages with each cage containing two females and one male animal. Similar cages and same number of animals were set up as controls. Animals were fed a mixture of feed with extracts of P. guineense seed at various test concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kgBW). Controls were fed similar ration of normal diet without extract. The experiment lasted for 42 days, consisting of 21 days of feeding with extracts with males and females mice staying together in cages, and 21 days of feeding without extracts but male and female animals kept in separate cages to stop further sexual behavior. All the female mice in the control cages gave birth to young ones between the 28 and 35th day of the test periods but no animal in the test group showed signs of pregnancy and none had implantation of fetus in the womb. Histopathology sections of testis and ovary of test animals showed inflamed cells of the gonads compared to normal cells in the controls. Three alkaloidal amides (Piperanine, , -dihydrowasanine and isobutyl-(E,E)-2,4- decadienamide) were isolated by HPLC analysis of the extracts. On the bases of the results obtained, it was concluded that seeds of P. guineense contain substances that interferes with conception in mice.