1Professor, Dept. of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Korea
2Professor, Dept. of Anatomy, College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Korea
This study aimed to investigate whether Eucommiae Cortex ameliorated the agerelated decline in male reproductive function.
Eucommiae Cortex (EC) extract was prepared by using a rotary evaporator and a freeze dryer. Experimental animals were spreaded into three groups: the control group, the aged group (AE group), and the EC-treated group. Mice in the EC group received a daily administration of 0.51 g/kg in distilled water for 6 months. After 6 months of treatment, histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses were used to examine.
EC extract increased sperm production, the number, apoptosis of Sertoli cells, differentiation of spermatogonia in the seminiferous tubules. Moreover, EC increased androgen receptor revelation in Sertoli cells and 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase(17β-HSD) expression in Leydig cells, and reduced positive staining for 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the seminiferous tubules, caspase-3 in Leydig cells, and histone deacetylase 1(HDAC1) in Sertoli cells.
The results suggested the following actions for EC: enhancement of spermatogenesis; improvement of testosterone production; regulation of oxidative stress. EC appears to ameliorate the age-related decline in male reproductive function.
Eucommiae Cortex(EC), reproductive function, spermatogenesis, testosterone, oxidative stress
