Effect of Dehydroleucodine on the male mouse reproductive tract

SUHAIMAN, LAILA; PALMADA, NELSON; LÓPEZ, LUIS ALBERTO

Iguazú-Misiones Argentina

Congreso; SAIB; 2004

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

It has been shown that sesquiterpene lactones act in vitro as inhibitors of a group of steroidogenic enzymes, the aromatases. These enzymes transform testosterone into estradiol, and are localized in Leydig cells and in cells of the seminiferous epithelium. We tested the effect of dehydroleucodine (DhL, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from matico, a medicinal herb widely distributed in the Cuyo area) in the male tract of adult male Balc D strain mice. Mice were treated with 7 mg of DhL/kg body weight per day for 30 days. After the treatment, the levels of serum steroid hormones were assayed and the cytology of the testes was analyzed. Testosterone leves in control animals were 1.65 ± 1.2 ng/ml, and in treated animals 0.44 ± 0.26 ng/ml, a diminution of 70% in the levels of testosterone. Estradiol values for control animals were 16 ± 7.9 pg/ml and for treated animals 12.67 ± 6.76 pg/ml, with no significant difference between the groups. Histological analysis of the testes of treated animals revealed profound changes in the appearance of interstitial cells, where approximately 50% of the Leydig cells were picnotic, suggesting that they are completely inactive. From these results we conclude that DhL is affecting serum testosterone levels –probably due to an inhibition of the activity of Leydig cells.