Comparative Effects of Ginger and Ashwagandha Extracts, Alone and Combined, Versus Levothyroxine on Reproductive Endocrine Recovery in PTU-Induced Hypothyroid Female Rats Treated During Pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: Hypothyroidism can disturb hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian regulation, gonadotropin secretion and ovarian steroidogenesis, changes that are particularly relevant during pregnancy and the transition after parturition.
Objective: To compare the effects of 70% ethanolic extracts of Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), alone or combined, with levothyroxine on reproductive endocrine recovery in PTU-induced hypothyroid female rats treated during pregnancy.
Methods: Sixty adult female albino rats were allocated to six groups (10/group). G1 received water, whereas G2-G6 received propylthiouracil (PTU; 50 mg/kg/day) orally for 28 days. Hormonal analyses were based on n=3 animals/group in each phase. After confirmation of hypothyroidism and pregnancy, G1 remained the healthy control and G2 the untreated hypothyroid control. During the 21-day gestational treatment period, G3 received levothyroxine (20 µg/kg/day), G4 ginger (200 mg/kg/day), G5 ashwagandha (200 mg/kg/day), and G6 both extracts (200 mg/kg/day each). Serum LH, FSH, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and prolactin were measured.
Results: Before treatment, PTU-exposed groups showed significantly lower LH, FSH and testosterone than G1, significantly higher estrogen, a general tendency toward lower progesterone, and no significant prolactin difference. One day after parturition, untreated G2 retained significantly lower LH, FSH, testosterone and progesterone than G1, whereas estrogen and prolactin did not differ significantly. With levothyroxine, FSH, testosterone and progesterone reached values statistically comparable with G1, while LH remained lower. Ginger improved LH and FSH and increased estrogen relative to G2, but testosterone and progesterone did not improve significantly relative to G2. With ashwagandha, LH, FSH and progesterone reached values statistically comparable with G1, whereas testosterone remained significantly lower than G1 and did not differ significantly from G2. The combined treatment improved LH, FSH and testosterone significantly versus G2, produced FSH and progesterone values statistically comparable with G1, and produced the highest numerical estrogen concentration. No significant group difference in prolactin was detected.
Conclusions: The treatments produced distinct reproductive endocrine recovery patterns. Ashwagandha showed the most complete plant-associated LH recovery, whereas the combination produced the broadest significant improvement versus the untreated hypothyroid group across LH, FSH and testosterone. The data did not demonstrate pharmacological synergy.