Cellular Study of Fennel's (Foeniculum Vulgare) Effect on Female Rats' Mammary Glands

During the past centuries, many herbs and plants, were described as milk-producing plants. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) was one of these herbs which was mentioned in medical prescriptions by herbal medicine practitioners in various parts of the world. The reason of this study is to shed the light of the fennel’s effect on female rats’ mammary glands in the three physiological cases (virgins, pregnant, and lactating). A total of 90 Norwegian white rats (Sprague-Dawley) were included in the study and were divided into 4 groups. These groups were treated with fennel plant focusing 5% and 10% of the daily food for a period of 10 and 20 days; two sets of control were used for each focus for a period of 10 and 20 days, who took their allocated animal feed. Each group includes five animals. Then measuring weight process was conducted for these animals after 10 days and 20 days. A significant increase in p (<0.05) was observed in alveoli diameters of the mammary glands. Also an increase in the number of the padded epithelial cells for the alveoli of the mammary glands was observed. In the treated groups focusing 10% of the daily food for a period of 10 and 20 days (the highest for the virgin rats), a slight increase in p for the pregnant rats, and a significant increase in p (P<0.05) for the lactating rats focusing (10%) for a period of 10 and 20 days period were observed. This means that the seed has given an incentive to increase the growth and development of the mammary glands in virgin animals as well as to increase the composition of milk during pregnancy
and increase the secretion of milk in lactating animals. All these effects were pronounced in all physiological states in the case of a concentration of 10% and duration of 20 days with the emergence of hyperplasia state. This indicates that seeds of the fennel plant increase the chance of growth and development of the mammary glands of female rats.