Chemical composition and antifertility effect of a South African herbal mixture in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

• Most synthetic contraceptives have several negative sides effects. • Plant-based contraceptives can offer alternative to synthetic contraceptives. • We assessed a herbal mixture for contraceptive use in folk medicine. • The herbal mixture contain compounds that might be responsible for antifertility activity. Herbal contraceptives are often considered as an affordable and accessible option for birth control practice. This study evaluated the antifertility activity of a South African herbal mixture made from three plants (Helichrysum caespititium (DC.) Sond. ex Harv , Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd and Teucrium trifidum Retz; ratio 1:1:1) in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Phytochemical profile of the herbal extract was analysed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). To determine the effects of the herbal mixture on the oestrus cycle, 20 female Sprague‑Dawley rats were divided into four groups (A, B, C, and D) of 5 rats per group. Group A served as the control and received distilled water for 21 days. Group B, C and D received the herbal mixture extract at a dosage of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg, respectively, for 21 days, and vaginal smears were monitored daily. To evaluate the effects of the extract on the reproductive outcome, 21 female rats were divided into 3 groups (Groups E, F, and G), consisting of 7 rats per group. Group E served as the control and received distilled water. Group F received 300 mg/kg of the extract pre-coital for 5 days, while Group G received 300 mg/kg of the extract prior to mating with continuous administration for 14 days. The phytochemical analysis of the herbal extract revealed the presence of 19 compounds, notably verbascoside, which is known to exert either oestrogenic or anti-estrogenic activities. The results showed that 300 and 500 mg/kg dose extended (p < 0.05) the duration of the metestrus phase when compared to the control, confirming the disruption of the oestrous cycle. The prolonged metestrus phase of the oestrus cycle by the herbal extract could be indicative of low reproductive hormones, decreasing the probability of conception. However, the herbal extract at 300 mg/kg had no antifertility activity in female Sprague-Dawley rats based on the number of litters in the treatment group relative to the control. It will be pertinent to assess other parameters such as anti-implantation activity, estrogenic/anti-estrogenic activity and hormonal analysis in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]