The Effect of Tarragon Hydroalcoholic Extract on the Rate of Blood Cations and Infants Sexual Ratio in Adult Mice

Tarragon is a plant of Asteraceae Family that has any medical and edible uses. This study aimed to investigate effects of Tarragon hydro-alcoholic extract on serum cations and sexual ratio of mice infants is performed.

In this experimental study 100 adult male mice and 100 adult female mice divided in 4 groups of males and females for mating to determine infants’ sex and to measure males and females cations were used. Each of them were divided into 5 categories of 10 including control, sham, experiment 1, 2 and 3 receiving Tarragon hydro-alcoholic extract at 500,1000 and 1500 mg/kg for 35 days. After phlebotomizing mice’ hearts, serum rates of Mg2, Ca2, K and Na was measured and other females groups with his teammates of male mice as intergroup mated, after the end of period, sex ratio of males and females were measured. The results obtained by using ANOVA and Duncan tests and SPSS 18 software was analyzed.

The results showed that tarragon extract in experimental groups caused the significant increase of serum concentrations Mg2, Ca2 ions in male and female mice and increase females infants’ percentage compared to male infants than in control group. Limitations including lack of adequate studies on Tarragon effect on the infants’ sex ratio and the pituitary-gonad axis function can be mentioned.

The results showed that tarragon extract by having Ca2, Mg2 and increasing serum ions mentioned and possibly by changing vagina environment pH caused to increase the gynogenesis percentage, so recommended that by supplementary research on tarragon effect on infants’ sex in human samples also be considered.