The influence of Pueraria mirifica herb containing phytoestrogens on the urinary gonadotropin and estradiol levels in aged menopausal monkeys

  1. Hataitip TRISOMBOON1,2,
  2. Suchinda MALAIVIJITNOND2,*,
  3. Wichai CHERDSHEWASART2,
  4. Gen WATANABE3,4,
  5. Kazuyoshi TAYA3,4

Article first published online: 9 JUL 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2007.00450.x

Issue

Animal Science Journal

Animal Science Journal

Volume 78, Issue 4, pages 378–386, August 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

TRISOMBOON, H., MALAIVIJITNOND, S., CHERDSHEWASART, W., WATANABE, G. and TAYA, K. (2007), The influence of Pueraria mirifica herb containing phytoestrogens on the urinary gonadotropin and estradiol levels in aged menopausal monkeys. Animal Science Journal, 78: 378–386. doi: 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2007.00450.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University,

  2. 2

    Primate Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand,

  3. 3

    Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, and

  4. 4

    Department of Basic Veterinary Science, the United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan

*Suchinda Malaivijitnond, Primate Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. (Email: suchinda.m@chula.ac.th)

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 JUL 2007
  2. Article first published online: 9 JUL 2007
  3. Received 7 June 2006; accepted for publication 17 November 2006.

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Keywords:

  • cynomolgus monkey;
  • estrogen;
  • gonadotropins;
  • Pueraria mirifica

ABSTRACT

We investigated a non-invasive method of specimen collection for determining the changes of reproductive hormones in aged menopausal monkeys after a long-term feeding of the Thai herb Pueraria mirifica (PM) containing phytoestrogens. Three groups of aged menopausal monkeys (n = three in each group) were fed daily with 10, 100, or 1000 mg of PM for a 90 day treatment period, and fed with distilled water for 30 and 60 days of the pre- and post-treatment periods, respectively. Urine samples were collected for 14 h daily every 5 days and assayed for follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol levels. The result showed that monkeys fed with PM 10, PM 100, and PM 1000 had a decrease in urinary FSH levels during the treatment period, followed by a rebound increase during the post-treatment period. Urinary estradiol levels tended to decrease and fluctuated between 4.28 and 266.71, 2.85–42.27, and 6.24–203.50% of the pre-treatment levels in those three groups, respectively. Decreases in urinary LH levels could not be observed in all the three groups. These results suggest that FSH could be a candidate marker to detect the estrogenic effects of phytoestrogens in aged menopausal monkeys when changes of urinary hormones need to be used as an indicator.

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