Abstract
The ethanolic extract of Ferula jaeschkeana Vatke as well as its hexane, benzene and chloroform soluble fractions prevented pregnancy
in adult female rats when administered orally on days 1-5 postcoitum. Chromatography of these combined fractions, whose TLC pattern was similar, yielded
the active compound ferujol. Single oral administration of ferujol on days 1, 2 or
3 postcoitum at 0.6 mg/kg dose prevented pregnancy in rats. None of the fractions nor ferujol,
however, exhibited any contraceptive efficacy in hamsters. In ovariectomized immature
female rats, ferujol showed potent estrogenic activity at the contraceptive dose,
but was devoid of any antiestrogenic activity. Significant uterotrophic effect was
discerned even at 1/40th of the contraceptive dose of the compound. Taking 100% increase
in uterine weight as the parameter, ferujol was found to be about 10 times less estrogenic
than ethynylestradiol. In addition, ferujol induced implantation of blastocysts in
mice undergoing experimentally induced delayed implantation, confirming its frank
estrogenic activity.
