EFFECTS OF LACTATIONAL EXPOSURE TO AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALLIGATOR PEPPER (Elettaria cardamomum) ON LITTERS OF LACTATING WISTAR RATS

ABSTRACT

                This study was designed to investigate the effects of aqueous solution of alligator pepper on the litters of lactating rats whose mothers were fed with various doses of the product. Forty lactating wistar rats with a collective litter size of 180 rats were used for the study. The lactating rats were separated into four groups (A.B,C and O) with a sample size of ten lactating rats per group. The lactating rats with their litters adjusted to between four and five were housed in separate maternity cages and fed liberally with normal rat chow and water. The lactating rat groups A, B, and C were administered 0.7mg/kg 1.4mg/kg and 2.8mg/kg of aqueous solution of alligator pepper respectively. The control group (O), received only water. The rats whose mean weight was 200g received the treatments by oral intubations between the hours of 9am and 10 am daily for 10 days with effect from the day they delivered their litters. The litters were observed and weighed on daily basis. The results showed that the litters of the control group O animals, had a significantly higher(P<0.05) growth rate than the litters of groups A, B and C. The group A litters also had a higher growth rate than group B litters whose mean growth rate was significantly higher (P<0.05) than litters of group C rats.

Key words: Alligator pepper, Wistar rats, Litters, Growth rate, Lactating rats.