Folic acid supplementation and its effects on the oestrus cycle of rats.

Abstract

Objective: To study the effects of long-term supplemental dose of Folic acid on the oestrous cycle of female Sprague Dawley rats. Study Design: Laboratory-based Experimental study. Setting: Department of Anatomy, CMH Multan Institute of Medical Sciences in Pakistan conducted this research. Period: September 2020 to September 2021. Material & Methods: In this study, 60 female Sprague Dawley rats were used and divided into two groups. The animals of control group A were given distilled water (1ml/100g) by oral gavage daily for four weeks. Folic acid was administered orally to the experimental group B once per day at a dosage of 0.2mg/kg of body weight, diluted in 100 grams of pure distilled water. A vaginal smear was taken every day between 11 am and 12 pm daily for four weeks and the slides were stained with Papanicolaou's stain. SPSS version 26 was used for data entry and analysis. Results: In experimental group B, the animals had an abnormal oestrus cycle. A statistically significant p-value of 0.000 was obtained after comparison between the groups. Conclusion: The current study showed that long-term supplemental dose of Folic Acid leads to prolongation of oestrous cycle of Sprague Dawley rats.