Elsevier

Maturitas

Volume 60, Issue 2, 20 June 2008, Pages 131-137
Maturitas

Androgen disruption and toxicity tests of Butea superba Roxb., a traditional herb used for treatment of erectile dysfunction, in male rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2008.04.011Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the effects of the tuberous powder of Butea superba Roxb. (Leguminosae) on blood testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), and toxicity in male rats.

Methods

Adult male Wistar rats were orally treated with 0, 10, 100, 150 or 200 mg/kg BW/day of B. superba powder suspension in 0.7 ml distilled water for 90 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected every 30 days and submitted to testosterone and LH analysis. On the 90th day of treatment, blood and the main organs were collected for haematological and histopathological analysis, respectively.

Results

The adverse effects found included an increase in spleen relative weight, and increased serum level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in rats treated with 150 mg/kg BW/day B. superba powder. At 200 mg/kg BW/day treatment, rats showed significant decreased and increased blood levels of neutrophil and eosinophil, respectively, and a decrease in serum creatinine levels. Serum hormonal analysis revealed a dose-dependent decrease in testosterone, but not LH, in rats treated with 150 and 200 mg/kg BW/day B. superba powder.

Conclusion

Subchronic treatment of B. superba tuberous powder suspension at high doses in male rats exhibited adverse effects to blood chemistry, haematology, and blood testosterone level. The results of the study should initiate awareness of the possible adverse risk of over-dose consumption of B. superba products for treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in mature males.

Introduction

Hormonal disruption is currently being investigated because it may initiate a biphasic response in the human body, disturbance of endocrine function and/or hormonal replacement action. Estrogen disruption is the most investigated case, especially that resulting from phytoestrogens [1], which can cause an adverse animal physiology such as sex hormone fluctuation [2]. Phytoestrogens initiate hormonal replacement actions in impaired estrogen synthesis animals for example, ovariectomized rats [3], [4], [5] and aging monkeys [6], [7], but also initiate hormonal disruption in normal female including monkeys [8], [9], [10] and rats [11]. Androgen disruption was first recorded in fish, caused by either androgenic or anti-estrogenic substance in the environment [12] but currently no significant effect in higher vertebrates has been reported.

Butea superba Roxb. (Leguminosae) is commonly found in Thai deciduous forests and has the domestic name of “Red Kwao Krua”. The plant tubers have long been consumed as a traditional medicine for the promotion of male sexual vigor. The efficacy of the plant powder has been demonstrated in a human clinical trial with effective treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Thai males [13] comparable to that seen in a worldwide clinical trial-based evaluation of sildenafil [14]. Recently, the plant products are becoming popular as traditional and alternative medicines, dietary supplements and topical products including for the promotion of male vigor. The Thai FDA has approved many traditional recipes that are comprised of B. superba as a major ingredient with limited claims for tonic purposes. We therefore setup a rat subchronic study to evaluate the possible toxicity and hormonal, especially testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) disruption. The results might open the possibility of not only to fix a safe dose for human consumption but also to establish the first record of androgen disruption in higher vertebrate studies.

Section snippets

Plant materials

Fresh tubers of B. superba were collected in Lampang Province, Thailand. The identification of the plant was done in comparison with the voucher specimen no. BCU 1046 [15]. The tubers were washed, sliced, oven-dried at 70 °C, and powdered to a size of 100 mesh. The freshly prepared suspension, by dissolving plant powder with distilled water in a final volume of 0.7 ml, was used for oral administration.

Animals and treatment

Adult male Wistar rats, 130 ± 10 days of age, were obtained from the National Laboratory Animal

Animal growth and histology analysis

There was no significant difference in either the growth rate measured by living body weight (Fig. 1) or the relative weight of the main body organs of male rats treated with all doses of B. superba, when compared with the control except for the increase in relative weight of the spleen (13.67%) in rats treated with 150 mg/kg BW (Table 1). However, the apparent increase in spleen weight showed no apparent dose-dependency and remains to be confirmed. The histology of the spleen, liver, kidney and

Discussion

Treatment with B. superba powder as an oral administered suspension showed no discernable adverse effect upon male rat growth rates at the doses (0–200 mg/kg BW) and duration (0–90 days) administered in this study. The results from the haematology showed a significant adverse effect on blood neutrophil and eosinophil at high (200 mg/kg BW) doses. It is possible that the high doses of plant chemicals could either influence the respective blood stem cell lineage division and differentiation within

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Graduate School and Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund of the Research affairs of Chulalongkorn University, and the National Center for Genetic Engineering, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology, for grant supports.

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