Influence of Sex on Food Intake and Body Weight in Wistar Rats in a Repeated Administration of Bridelia ferruginea Benth Aqueous Extract

Bridelia ferruginea Benth , a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine  in Ivory Coast to treat many pathologies such as diabetes mellitus, is usually taken during a short or long period and its bark used as vegetables contains anti-nutritional factors.. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of the plant extract on food consumption and body weight in Wistar female and male rats.

The aqueous extract was prepared using the powder (100 g) of the stem bark of Bridelia ferruginea macerated in distilled water (1 Liter) during 24 hours. For the present study, thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four groups of 8 animals each (8; 4/sex). The experiment was performed in 90 days, according the protocol described by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guideline 408 for testing chemicals in sub chronic toxicity study in rodents. Food consumption and animal body weight were measured each day during the experiment period.

The food consumption decreased in female group compared to the male rats receiving the same treatment (p <0.05). During three months of measurement, decrease of food consumption was observed in all female rat groups (control and treated, p <0.001) compared to male groups having the same treatment. Weekly measures of body weight showed decrease in female rats compared to male groups receiving the same dose.

Bridelia ferruginea caused lower body weight and food consumption in female rats compared to the male that suggested female Wistar rats were more sensitive than male.