Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of green tea on the spiral artery density and endometrial thickness in female rats treated with the depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). Material and Methods: A total of twenty-four female rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control group (no treatment), the DMPA-treated group and the group treated with DMPA and green tea of various doses (165 and 330 mg/gram of body weight per day). Spiral artery density and endometrial thickness were subjected to histopathological analysis. Results: Spiral artery density decreased in the DMPA-treated group, despite the insignificant difference (P > 0.05). With regard to the administration of green tea at doses of 165 and 330 mg/gram of body weight per day, only green tea at the high dose was capable of significantly preventing a decrease in spiral artery density (P < 0.05). At this dose, the spiral arteries achieved a density comparable to that of the control group (P > 0.05). Meanwhile, the administration of DMPA and/or DMPA with green tea did not cause significant changes in endometrial thickness relative to the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: DMPA induced a decrease in spiral artery density, despite the insignificant differences, and these changes could be normalized by the administration of high doses of green tea. Therefore, green tea could be a candidate herb to prevent the adverse effects of the contraceptive DMPA.
Key words: xenobiotics; progestin; contraceptive; endometrium; uterus; histology.
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