The Estrogenic Effect of Pueraria mirifica on Gonadotrophin Levels in Aged Monkeys

Abstract

We investigated the effect of Pueraria mirifica (PM) on gonadotrophin and estradiol levels in aged animals; nine menopausal cynomolgus monkeys were divided into three groups. Each group (n = 3) was fed with 10, 100, and 1000 mg/d of PM for 90 d. PM-10 induced the decrease of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels on d 15-90 in one out of three monkeys. PM-100 and PM-1000 decreased FSH levels of all monkeys throughout the treatment period. After the treatment period, FSH levels continued to decrease for 5 and 10-20 d in PM-100 and PM-1000, respectively, and the levels rebounded in all groups thereafter. PM-10 decreased luteinizing hormone (LH) levels throughout the treatment period in one out of three monkeys and returned to the pretreatment levels immediately after stopping treatment. PM-100 and PM-1000 prominently decreased LH levels between d 10 and 90 during treatment and persisted until d 15-25 and d 20-30 for PM-100 and PM-1000, respectively, during the post-treatment period. Serum LH levels rebounded after returning to pre-treatment levels in a dose-dependent manner. Estradiol levels tended to decrease during the treatment period in all groups. The daily feeding of PM suppressed gonadotrophin levels in aged menopausal monkeys based on dose. Moreover, they can be recovered, and there is a direct correlation between dosage and recovery time. PM may be effective as an alternative medicine in menopausal women because the effects are not permanent.

Effect of Pueraria mirifica on the Sexual Skin Coloration of Aged Menopausal Cynomolgus Monkeys

“…However, the change in sexual skin coloration w a s n o t c o n c o m i t a n t w i t h t h e c h a n g e i n endogenous estradiol level in serum [10]. Serum estradiol levels were unchanged, but tended to decrease in three monkey groups in a previous study [10].…”

“…Administration of PM produced cornified cells, g r o w t h o f t h e e n d o m e t r i u m g l a n d , a n d proliferation of spiral arteries in ovariectomized rats [9]. Furthermore, we reported in a recent investigation that daily feeding of PM had an estrogenic effect by suppressing gonadotropin and estrogen secretions in aged female cynomolgus monkeys [10].The influence of estrogen on the sexual skin area around the perineum to the base of the tail has been …”

The mutagenic and antimutagenic effects of the traditional phytoestrogen-rich herbs, Pueraria mirifica and Pueraria lobata

“…Consumption of the tuberous powder generates a strong estrogenic activity as revealed by the induction of vaginal cornification in ovariectomized rats (5,6) and by the MCF-7 cell proliferation assay (7). Treatment of gonadectomized rats with plant tuber powder resulted in a reduction of LH and FSH levels (8), with dose-dependent estrogenic responses in female mice (9), female monkeys (10), and menopausal monkeys (11)(12)(13). The plant tuber powder also elicits dose-dependent physiological responses in male mice with a reduction in the weight of the epididymis and the seminal vesicles and reduced sperm motility and viability (14), promoting protection against osteoporosis in orchidectomized male (15) and female rats (16).…”

Rhizobium puerariae sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium from the root nodules of the medicinal plant Pueraria candollei var. candollei

“…Many studies have shown that P. candollei var. mirifica (synonym: Pueraria mirifica) possesses pharmacological activity (Chansakaow et al, 2000;Cherdshewasart et al, 2004;Trisomboon et al, 2004;Urasopon et al, 2007 (Bautista et al, 2010) and strains of several Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium species were isolated from the root nodules of P. candollei var. mirifica (Pongsilp et al, 2010).…”