Cellular Study of Fennel's ( Foeniculum Vulgare ) : Effect on Female Rats' Mammary Glands

Abstract

Many of the herbs and plants, during the past centuries, were described as milk producing. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) was one of these herbs in which the medical prescriptions were mentioned by herbal medicine practitioners in various parts of the world. The reason of this study is to shed the lights of the fennel’s effect on female rats’ mammary glands in the three physiological cases (virgins, pregnant and lactating). 90 Norwegian white rat (Sprague-Dawley) were used and divided into four groups treated by fennel plant focusing 5% and 10% of the daily food for a period of 10 and 20 days, two sets of control for each focus for a period of 10 and 20 days, and have took its allocated animal feed and each group includes five animals. Then measuring weights process has been conducted for these animals after 10 days and 20 days. It was found that there is a significant increase p<(0.05) in alveoli diameters of the mammary glands, also an increase appeared in the number of the padded epithelial cells for the alveoli of the mammary glands In the treated groups focusing (10%) for 10 and 20 days period which was the highest for the virgin rats, slight increase for the pregnant and a significant increase (P<0.05) for the lactating rats focusing (10%) for 10 and 20 days period. This means that the seed has given an incentive to increase the growth and the development of the mammary gland in virgin animals as well as the ability of the seed to increase the composition of milk in the duration of the pregnancy and increase the secretion of milk in lactating animals. All these effects were the greatest, biggest and most in all physiological cases in the case of concentration of (10%) for (20) days with the emergence of hyperplasia state. This gives an indication that the seed of fennel plant has worked to increase the chance of growth and development of the mammary glands of the female rats. Keywrds: Foeniculum vulgare, Cellular Study Received 10.09.2014 Revised 11.11.2014 Accepted 28.12.2014 INTRODUCTION The study of medicinal plants in terms of their nutritional value and medicinal with great economic importance to take advantage of them and the statement of the role of medical and food. Following that used many of the medicinal plants in folk medicine as generator of milk in women , including fennel vulgare Foeniculum [1, 2], which is belongs to the family Umeblifearae. The mammary glands is skin modified glands exist in both males and females , but they become functional in females where their provide the milk, and so for being a key material in the nutrition newborns and provide antibodies [3]. There are mummeries’ tissues in both sexes, but become functional in females where are the lining of the mammary gland (mammary epithelium) production and secretion milk [4]. In most species, mammary gland consists of one pair, as in humans, goats, guinea pigs in either consist of [9-7] pairs, while in rats consists of six pairs [5]. The structure of the epithelial cells in the mammary glands be similar in different species of mammals animals, no matter the big difference in the chemical composition of the milk Manufacturer in which [6]. MATERIAL AND METHODS Animals used in the experiment The white rats (Spargue-Dawley) were used in the test which were bought from the Laboratory animal breeding center of the Faculty of Medicine in Baghdad University.