title: Post-coital contraceptive agents from extracts of Sri Lankan alcyonacean soft corals--I.
abstract: Dichloromethane-methanol (1:1) extracts of ten species of alcyonacean soft corals were screened for post-coital interceptive effects on female rats, using oral administration, from day 1 to day 7 of pregnancy. Significant suppression of fertility was observed in the animals treated with the crude extracts of Sarcophyton ehrenbergi (250 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.05; 500 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.001), Sinularia crispa (500 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.05; 1000 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.001), Sinularia abrupta (1000 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.001), Sinularia spp--III (500 mg/kg/day, P less than 0.05). This antifertility effect appears to be due to interruption of embryonic events during implantation and/or pre-implantation periods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Liyanage
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ratnasooriya
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tillekeratne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008974:Mollusca; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013188:Sri Lanka; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital; D014020:Tissue Extracts