Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish
The flower of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> L. is mainly used for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases, and has been reported to have bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antidepressant activities. This study used wild-type adult zebrafish as an animal mo...
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2218 |
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| author | Chi-Chang Chang Jer-Yiing Houng Wei-Hao Peng Tien-Wei Yeh Yun-Ya Wang Ya-Ling Chen Tzu-Hsien Chang Wei-Chin Hung Teng-Hung Yu |
| author_facet | Chi-Chang Chang Jer-Yiing Houng Wei-Hao Peng Tien-Wei Yeh Yun-Ya Wang Ya-Ling Chen Tzu-Hsien Chang Wei-Chin Hung Teng-Hung Yu |
| author_sort | Chi-Chang Chang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The flower of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> L. is mainly used for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases, and has been reported to have bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antidepressant activities. This study used wild-type adult zebrafish as an animal model to elucidate the potential bioactivity of <i>A. manihot</i> flower ethanol extract (AME) in enhancing their sexual and reproductive functions. Zebrafish were fed AME twice a day at doses of 0.2%, 1%, and 10% for 28 days, and were then given the normal feed for an additional 14 days. The hormone 17-β estradiol was used as the positive control. Sexual behavioral parameters such as the number of times males chased female fish, the production of fertilized eggs, and the hatching rate of the fertilized eggs were recorded at days 0.33, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42. The expression levels of sex-related genes—including <i>lhcgr</i>, <i>ar</i>, <i>cyp19a1a</i>, and <i>cyp19a1b</i>—were also examined. The results showed that the chasing number, fertilized egg production, and hatching rate were all increased with the increase in the AME treatment dose and treatment time. After feeding with 1% and 10% AME for 28 days, the chasing number in the treated group as compared to the control group increased by 1.52 times and 1.64 times, respectively; the yield of fertilized eggs increased by 1.59 times and 2.31 times, respectively; and the hatching rate increased by 1.26 times and 1.69 times, respectively. All three parameters exhibited strong linear correlations with one another (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The expression of all four genes was also upregulated with increasing AME dose and treatment duration. When feeding with 0.2%, 1%, and 10% AME for 28 days, the four sex-related genes were upregulated at ranges of 1.79–2.08-fold, 2.74–3.73-fold, and 3.30–4.66-fold, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of AME was persistent, as the promotion effect continued after the treatment was stopped for at least two weeks. The present findings suggest that AME can enhance the endocrine system and may improve libido and reproductive performance in zebrafish. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:37:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-855d1c6a062c40faa522038972fcdda2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:37:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-855d1c6a062c40faa522038972fcdda22023-11-30T23:41:12ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492022-03-01277221810.3390/molecules27072218Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in ZebrafishChi-Chang Chang0Jer-Yiing Houng1Wei-Hao Peng2Tien-Wei Yeh3Yun-Ya Wang4Ya-Ling Chen5Tzu-Hsien Chang6Wei-Chin Hung7Teng-Hung Yu8School of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanDepartment of Nutrition, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanSchool of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanSchool of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanSchool of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanDepartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, E-Da Hospital/E-Da Dachang Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanDepartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, E-Da Hospital/E-Da Dachang Hospital, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, TaiwanThe flower of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> L. is mainly used for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases, and has been reported to have bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antidepressant activities. This study used wild-type adult zebrafish as an animal model to elucidate the potential bioactivity of <i>A. manihot</i> flower ethanol extract (AME) in enhancing their sexual and reproductive functions. Zebrafish were fed AME twice a day at doses of 0.2%, 1%, and 10% for 28 days, and were then given the normal feed for an additional 14 days. The hormone 17-β estradiol was used as the positive control. Sexual behavioral parameters such as the number of times males chased female fish, the production of fertilized eggs, and the hatching rate of the fertilized eggs were recorded at days 0.33, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42. The expression levels of sex-related genes—including <i>lhcgr</i>, <i>ar</i>, <i>cyp19a1a</i>, and <i>cyp19a1b</i>—were also examined. The results showed that the chasing number, fertilized egg production, and hatching rate were all increased with the increase in the AME treatment dose and treatment time. After feeding with 1% and 10% AME for 28 days, the chasing number in the treated group as compared to the control group increased by 1.52 times and 1.64 times, respectively; the yield of fertilized eggs increased by 1.59 times and 2.31 times, respectively; and the hatching rate increased by 1.26 times and 1.69 times, respectively. All three parameters exhibited strong linear correlations with one another (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The expression of all four genes was also upregulated with increasing AME dose and treatment duration. When feeding with 0.2%, 1%, and 10% AME for 28 days, the four sex-related genes were upregulated at ranges of 1.79–2.08-fold, 2.74–3.73-fold, and 3.30–4.66-fold, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of AME was persistent, as the promotion effect continued after the treatment was stopped for at least two weeks. The present findings suggest that AME can enhance the endocrine system and may improve libido and reproductive performance in zebrafish.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2218<i>Abelmoschus manihot</i>sexual arousalreproductive performancegene expressionzebrafish |
| spellingShingle | Chi-Chang Chang Jer-Yiing Houng Wei-Hao Peng Tien-Wei Yeh Yun-Ya Wang Ya-Ling Chen Tzu-Hsien Chang Wei-Chin Hung Teng-Hung Yu Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish Molecules <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> sexual arousal reproductive performance gene expression zebrafish |
| title | Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish |
| title_full | Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish |
| title_fullStr | Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish |
| title_short | Effects of <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> Flower Extract on Enhancing Sexual Arousal and Reproductive Performance in Zebrafish |
| title_sort | effects of i abelmoschus manihot i flower extract on enhancing sexual arousal and reproductive performance in zebrafish |
| topic | <i>Abelmoschus manihot</i> sexual arousal reproductive performance gene expression zebrafish |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/7/2218 |
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