Histological Manifestations of Effects of Eliozu Dumpsite Leachate on the Reproductive Tract of Female Wistar Rats

Abstract

Reproduction is an important biological trait to produce new individual organisms and is the fundamental for the life of an individual as well as the survival and development of the system. The response of reproductive organs to toxic substances varies from that of other target organs and may serve as an ideal for the deleterious effects of environmental toxicity on animals and human health. The incidence of infertility and risen maladies are increased in the last five decades. Various human activities have released into the environment plenty toxic substances which could be found in dumpsite leachate. The present study focused on experimental studies of histological effects of Eliozu dumpsite leachate on reproductive tract of female using Wistar rats as model. Twenty five (25) female Wistar rats were divided into five groups of five animals each; the leachate was collected from the dumpsite and water from near-by borehole also collected. Group 1 which served as control group received 1ml of commercial bottle water, group 2 received 1ml of borehole water 1kilometer from the dumpsite, groups 3, 4 and 5 received different concentration of the leachate in 10%, 50% and 100% for thirty days, the animals were sacrificed after being anesthetized with chloroform vapor, the ovaries and uterus were collected and put in 10% formaldehyde, sectioned and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for histopathological studies. The slides were placed in a light microscope and analyzed by a consultant Anatomy pathologist. The results revealed that the Eliozu dumpsite leachate does not have any effect on the morphology of the uterus but have deleterious effect on the histomorphology of the ovaries. Eliozu dumpsite leachate has shown deleterious effect on female ovaries, which is an indication of toxicity that may cause infertility to the experimental animals. Therefore, it is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating this finding be carried out especially on humans and residents around dumpsite should always embark on reproductive tract medical check-up.