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PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF CALABASH (CRESCENTIA CUJETE) ETHANOLIC FRUIT EXTRACT TO GESTATING SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS

Florence Jhun F. Almadin, Joycelyn C. Jumawan


It has been reported that the water fruit extract of Calabash (Crescentia cujete) have many traditional claims for herbal medicine. However the safety of its use during pregnancy has not been fully investigated. The ethanolic fruit extract (25%, 75%, and 100%) was given to Sprague Dawley rats on days 6 to 19 of gestation, that is, organogenetic period. Maternal organ and fetal weight were recorded, the morphometric indices such as Crown rump length (CRL), Forelimb length (FLL), Head lip length (HdLL), and Hind limb length (HLL) of the fetuses were carried out. The Control group had the heaviest fetal weight, followed by 75%, 25% and 100% concentration. The Control Group ranged from 3.5 to 6.3g (mean = 5.07 ± 0.86). The 75% concentration group ranged 3 to 5.2 g (mean = 3.89 ± 0.55). The 25% concentration group ranged from 2.6 to 4.9 g (mean = 3.78 ± 0.49). The 100% concentration group ranged from 3 to 4.3 g (mean = 3.53 ± 0.36). No remarkable abnormality in the external morphology of fetus was observed other than the significantly reduced fetal weight. Blood samples were also collected and were analyzed for complete blood profile (CBP). red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), platelet, hematocrit and hemoglobin. The blood count shows that the control group is within every expected range (with the exception of the 25% group in the WBC count, which exceeds the expected range of 5.0 to 10.0 x10^9/L). Continuous consumption of higher concentrations of the extract during gestation can alter the growth and development of the fetus and maternal organs and the maternal blood count. Utmost caution should be done by humans in using this extract during pregnancy.