Evaluation of effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of Achillea millefolium on in Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in Mice

Objective: Achillea millefolium (AM) is one of the oldest and most well-known medicinal plants with potential antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was aimed to evaluate the effects of three different doses of hydro-alcoholic extract of AM on in vitro fertilization in mice. Material & Methods: Twenty four male adult NMRI mice were randomly arranged into 4 groups. Group 1 received normal Saline (0.1 ml/kg), group 2 received extract of AM (75 mg/kg). Group 3 received extract of AM (150 mg/kg). Group 4 received extract of AM (300 mg/kg). Treatments were continued for 35 days. The oocytes were obtained from 15 mature female mice. Animals were anesthetized to easy draw, after extraction and normal sperm and fertilized oocytes were incubated for 120 hours in presence of HTF + 4 mg BSA. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and Tukey test. Results: In the groups receiving low and medium doses of AM, blastocyst formation and fertilization rate was increased, but not significantly compared to the control group. But in the group receiving high dose of extract, blastocyst formation and fertilization rate was significantly decreased compared to the control group (P<0/01). Conclusion: In this study, AM has dose-dependent manner, so that at low and medium doses did not revealed significant effect, but high-dose of AM caused a significantly remarkable reduction in in vitro fertilization and embryos growth.

Achillea millefolium, Cyclophosphamide, Embryo toxicity, IVF, Mice