The College of Pharmacy discussed the PhD dissertation entitled “Effects of Conocarpus Erectus Leaves Extract Against Propylthiouracil-Induced Hypothyroidism in Female Rats ” by the student Mahmood Kahtan Ismail and the supervisor, Professor Dr. Shihab Hattab Mutlag, at the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department.
The study aimed to evaluate the effects of Conocarpus erectus (C. erectus) leaves extract against propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism in female rats.
The study included sixty female rats divided into six groups of ten and treated as follows: group I rats received 1 mg/kg/day of 0.9 % sodium chloride solution by oral gavage for 5 weeks, group II rats received PTU orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for five weeks, group III rats received PTU orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for five weeks and 500 mg/kg/day of ethyl acetate extract of C. erectus starting from week four, group IV rats received PTU orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for five weeks and 1000 mg/kg/day of ethyl acetate extract of C. erectus starting from week four, group V rats received PTU orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for five weeks and 500 mg/kg/day of chloroform extract of C. erectus starting from week four, group VI rats received PTU orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for five weeks and 1000 mg/kg/day of chloroform extract of C. erectus starting from week four. After 24 hours from the final administration, the rats were euthanized, and blood and thyroid tissue samples were collected for histopathological, biochemical and gene expression analyses.
The results showed improvement in the structure of thyroid follicles and an increase in blood vessel formation in rats treated with C. erectus extracts compared with the second group. Additionally, treatment with C. erectus extracts reduced PTU-induced oxidative stress by increasing SOD, GPx and catalase levels, while decreasing MDA levels in serum. Furthermore, treatment with C. erectus extracts alleviated inflammation induced by PTU by downregulating the gene expression of TNF-α, NLRP3, TRAIL, and NF-κB in thyroid tissues. Moreover, treatment with Conocarpus erectus extracts inhibited PTU-induced apoptosis by decreasing cleaved caspase-3, caspase-8, and Bax protein levels, while increasing Bcl-2 levels in thyroid tissues.
The study recommended conducting further research utilizing a larger scale of animals and longer time intervals. Also, preclinical and clinical evaluations of C. erectus leaves extracts are required to confirm safety and establish their role as an adjuvant treatment for hypothyroidism.
