Androgenic effect of aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera on Leydig TM3 cells in vitro

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (MO) is an excellent source of dietary antioxidant. MO is used traditionally to enhance libido and as an aphrodisiac in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the direct effect of aqueous leaf extract of MO on Leydig cell in vitro. Specifically, the effect of MO on viability, testosterone production, antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation on TM3 cells were evaluated. TM3 cells seeded for 24 hr were exposed to aqueous leaf extract of MO (0, 10, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 µg/ml) for 24 hr, in the absence or presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 6 mIU/200 µl). Cell viability remained unchanged while testosterone production significantly increased at 500 and 1,000 µg/ml of the extract under stimulatory conditions by 34 and 45% respectively. Glutathione level substantially increased at 250 µg/ml, while lipid peroxidation, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, and total antioxidant capacity remained unchanged. Our results demonstrate the androgenic effect of MO especially at high concentrations in TM3 cells. The androgenic effect may be attributed to its antioxidant enzyme activities.

Moringa oleifera ethanolic extract ameliorates the testicular dysfunction resulted from HFD‐induced obesity rat model

“…The protection and/or the treatment of rats fed a HFD with MOLE could induce a highly significant (SOD) or significant (GSH) increase in the testis compared to in the obese rats that were not administered MOLE (G3). Our findings agree with those of previous investigations, which found that serum MDA was significantly decreased in rats treated with M. oleifera (Oparinde & Atiba, 2014) both in vivo and in vitro (Luqman et al., 2012). This potent antioxidant property of MOLE is due to its high content of isothiocyanate and phenolic compounds (Tumer et al., 2015; Verma et al., 2009).…”

“…study concluded that the androgenic activity of Moringa oleifera extract on Leydig TM3 cells could be due to its antioxidant capacities (Opuwari et al 2020).…”

Moringa oleifera leaf ethanolic extract benefits cashmere goat semen quality via improving rumen microbiota and metabolome

“…Previous studies have shown that oral administration of M. oleifera leaf extract increases testosterone levels in rats (38). Besides, in vitro studies have found that M. oleifera leaf extract promotes testosterone production in the Leydig cells (52). The effect of MOLE on testosterone is related to the presence of flavonoids in MOLE that have been shown to alter androgen levels (53), such as quercetin which has been studied to promote androgen production in Leydig cells by modulating Star gene expression and Star promoter activity (54).…”

“…Recent studies have suggested that gut microbiota can have an impact on spermatogenesis (18)(19)(20). It is well known that MOLE and MOLP can enhance sperm quality and testosterone levels (7,37,52), but there is limited information about their effects on the rumen microbiota. In this study, we found that in the rumen treated with MOLE, the abundance of gram-negative bacteria, Prevotella, tended to decrease.…”

The Mechanisms and Management of Age-Related Oxidative Stress in Male Hypogonadism Associated with Non-communicable Chronic Disease

“…Animal and in vitro studies that have investigated the antioxidant effects of micronutrients and herbal medicine extractions on both testosterone production and oxidative stress are listed in Supplementary Tables S1 and S2 , respectively. Testosterone and oxidative stress reportedly improved in i n vitro models of Leydig cells treated with different antioxidant compounds [ 159 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 ]. Similar results were observed across various animal models of induced hypogonadism by using vitamins A and C [ 171 ], zinc [ 172 ], N -acetylcysteine (NAC) [ 173 , 174 ], gallic acid [ 175 ], lycopene [ 176 ], forskolin [ 177 ], resveratrol [ 167 , 178 ], Nigella sativa seed oil [ 179 ], Lycium chinense Mill [ 180 ], Eruca sativa seeds [ 181 ], Moringa oleifera leaves [ 182 ], Schisandra chinensis [ 183 ], Ojayeonjonghwan [ 184 , 185 ], and Qilin pills [ 186 ] ( Supplementary Table S2 ).…”