Hataitip Trisomboon

Ovulation block by Pueraria mirifica: a study of its endocrinological effect in female monkeys.

Pueraria mirifica (PM), a Thai herb containing phytoestrogens, may act as estrogen and disturb reproduction. To investigate the effect of PM on the menstrual cycle length and related hormones, nine adult female monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were separated into three groups. Each group (n=3) was fed with 10, 100, and 1000 mg/d of PM for three menstrual cycles. The menstrual cycle length increased significantly in monkeys treated with PM-10 and PM-100 and disappeared completely in monkeys treated with PM-1000. Serum follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, progesterone, and ir-inhibin were lower during the treatment period in a dose-dependent manner. Changes in menstrual cycle length and the hormonal levels recovered during the post-treatment period only in monkeys treated with PM-10 and PM-100. PM greatly influences menstrual cycles and may suppress ovulation by lowering serum levels of gonadotropins.

The estrogenic effect of Pueraria mirifica on gonadotrophin levels in aged monkeys

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.

Effects of Pueraria mirifica, an herb containing phytoestrogens, on reproductive organs and fertility of adult male mice.

The effects of Pueraria mirifica (PM) on reproductive organs and fertility of adult male mice were investigated. Male mice were divided into four groups (10 mice/group). Groups 1–3 were orally treated with PM at doses of 0 (PM-0), 10 (PM-10), and 100 (PM-100) mg/kg BW/d in 0.2 mL distilled water, and group 4 was subcutaneously injected with 200 μg/kg BW/d of synthetic estrogen diesthylstibestol (DES). The treatment schedule was separated into two periods: treatment and posttreatment (8 wk for each period). The PM-10 and PM-100 treatments had no effect on testicular weight, sperm number, and serum LH, FSH, and testosterone levels. Only the PM-100 treatment reduced weights of epididymes and seminal vesicle and the sperm motility and viability. Histopathological examination demonstrated that testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle were normal in all doses of PM treatment. PM-treated males showed no alterations in mating efficiency and on causing pregnancy of their female partners. DES injection impaired all those parameters. Offspring fathered by the PM-and DES-treated males exhibited neither malformations nor change of body weight gains, and the reproductive organ weights of 50-d old pups were in the normal range. The present data clearly demonstrate that a long-term treatment of PM at doses 10 and 100 mg/kg BW/d, via oral route, does not alter a male fertility and a hypothalamus pituitary-testis axis. Although PM-100 can cause some moderate impairment, no persistent effects were observed. Most of PM-treated mice increased the mating efficiency after stop treatment.