In vivo effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) extract on reproductive functions in the rat
| Autor: | N. Erasmus, Michael C. Solomon, Ralf Henkel |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Urology Acrosome reaction Motility Male infertility Andrology Rats Sprague-Dawley Endocrinology In vivo Prostate Internal medicine medicine Animals Testosterone Eurycoma Infertility Male biology Sperm Count Plant Extracts General Medicine Organ Size biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Sperm Rats medicine.anatomical_structure Eurycoma longifolia |
| Zdroj: | Andrologia. 46(4) |
| ISSN: | 1439-0272 |
| Popis: | Summary An aqueous extract of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali; TA) roots is traditionally used to enhance male sexuality. Because previous studies are limited to only few sperm parameters or testosterone concentration, this study investigated the in vivo effects of TA on body and organ weight as well as functional sperm parameters in terms of safety and efficacy in the management of male infertility. Forty-two male rats were divided into a control, low-dose (200 mg kg 1 BW) and high-dose (800 mg kg 1 BW) group (n = 14). Rats were force-fed for 14 days and then sacrificed. Total body and organ weights of the prostate, testes, epididymides, gastrocnemius muscle and the omentum were recorded. Moreover, testosterone concentration, sperm concentration, motility, velocity, vitality, acrosome reaction and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed. Whilst TA decreased BW by 5.7% (P = 0.0276) and omentum fat by 31.9% (P = 0.0496), no changes in organ weights were found for the prostate, testes and epididymides. Testosterone concentration increased by 30.2% (P = 0.0544). Muscle weight also increased, yet not significantly. Whilst sperm concentration, total and progressive motility and vitality increased significantly, MMP improved markedly (P = 0.0765) by 25.1%. Because no detrimental effect could be observed, TA appears safe for possible treatment of male infertility and ageing male problems. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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