Biochemical and pharmacological studies on the effect of zinnia elegance and gerbara jamesonni on female rats

ABSTRACT

The phytochemical screening of Zinnia and Gerbara indicated that it contains coumarin, tannins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, B-sitosterol and triterpenes. The alcoholic extract of different parts of Zinnia [leaves, stems and flowers] and Gerbara [leaves and flowers] exhibited estrogenic like activity when they were administrated orally to ovariectomized female rats. The extracts increased the uterus weight in these rats. The extracts of leaves and stems of Zinnia showed stimulatory effect on isolated pregnant rat uterus, while the flower extract demonstrated a minimal stimulation which reached to about 5% only in the highest dose [1/10 of LD50]. Moreover, Zinnia extracts had no effect on estrous rat uterus and increased the stimulant of normal amplitude of isolated rabbit intestine. On the other h and, Gerbara extracts exhibited anticholinergic activity on both guinea pig ileum and estrous rat uterus and decreased the normal amplitude of isolated pregnant rat uterus. Gerbara extracts had no significant influence on liver function, while Zinnia, especially high dose [1/10 of LD50] induced some histopathological and biochemical changes in this organ