Maca extracts and estrogen replacement therapy in ovariectomized rats exposed at high altitude

Reproductive medicine and biology

article

Roberto O. Ybañez-Julca¹  Daniel Asunción-Alvarez¹  Javier Palacios²  Chukwuemeka R. Nwokocha³ 

[1] Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo;Laboratorio de Bioquímica Aplicada, Universidad Arturo Prat;Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies

关键词: hormone replacement therapy;    hypoxia;    Lepidium meyenii;    ovariectomy;    oxidative stress;   

DOI  :  10.1002/rmb2.12357

学科分类：工业工程学

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Purpose Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and herbal remedies are often used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, but their effects and efficacy at high altitudes presents with several uncertainties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether pre-treatment with maca ( Lepidium meyenii Walp) improved the tolerance to high altitude on an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model at sea level. Method The animals were treated with 17β-estradiol (200 µg/kg; E2), red and black maca (1.5 g/kg) for 28 days and exposed at high altitude or sea level. Result Our findings showed that red and black maca extracts significantly ( P  < .001) reduced the MDA level in OVX rat serum under hypoxia in a similar way to E2. Red and black maca extracts had similar effects with E2, by significantly ( P  < .001) reversing and increasing the ovariectomized induced decrease in cornified endometrial cell number. Under hypoxic conditions, the black maca ( P  < .05) and E2 ( P  < .01) increased the uterine weight in OVX rats. Finally, E2 alone significantly recovered the frequency of the uterine contractile response. Conclusion Aqueous extract of L. meyenii partially protects the reproductive function in hypobaric hypoxic environment, through the recovery of the cornified endometrial cells and uterine weight in a menopausal model of OVX rats.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC|CC BY-NC-ND