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OBJECTIVE@#To explore the mechanisms that mediate the anti-inflammatory activity of Eurycoma longifolia.@*METHODS@#Kunming mouse models of xylene-induced ear swelling and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute pneumonia were used to compare the anti- inflammatory activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Eurycoma longifolia. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to identify the chemical composition in the ethanol extract of Eurycoma longifolia, based on which the potential antiinflammatory targets of Eurycoma longifolia were screened using the databases including SwissADME, SwissTargetPrediction, and Genecards. The String database was used to generate the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and Cytoscape was used for network topology analysis and screening the core targets. The enrichment of the core targets was analyzed using Metascape database, the core components and targets were docked with Autodock software, and the docking results were visualized using Pymol software. In a RAW264.7 cell model of LPS-induced inflammation, the Griess reagent was used to measure NO level, and Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of MAPK1, JAK2, and STAT3 proteins to verify the anti- inflammatory mechanism of Eurycoma longifolia.@*RESULTS@#The ethanol extract (75%) of Eurycoma longifolia (ELE) was the active site, which contained a total of 37 chemical components. These chemical compounds and diseases had 541 targets, involving the JAK/STAT3, cAMP and other signaling pathways. Twelve indicator components were identified, which all showed good results of molecular docking with two core targets involved in the signaling pathways. In the cell validation experiment, treatment of the cells with low-, medium-, and high-dose ELE significantly reduced NO release in the cells, and ELE at the medium dose significantly decreased the cellular expressions of JAK2 and STAT3.@*CONCLUSION@#The anti-inflammatory activity of Eurycoma longifolia is attributed primarily to its active ingredients bitter lignin and alkaloids, which may regulate the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway by targeting JAK2 and STAT3.
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Animals , Mice , Network Pharmacology , Eurycoma , Lipopolysaccharides , Molecular Docking Simulation , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Ethanol , Plant Extracts/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A sensitive and efficient method was established and validated for qualitative and quantitative analysis of total alkaloids from the extract of Eurycoma longifolia by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS). The HPLC-Q-TOF-MS conditions are as follows: Welch Ultimate XB-C_(18) column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with acetonitrile(containing 0.1% formic acid)-0.1% formic acid in water as mobile phase for gradient elution. The UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS conditions are as below: Agilent Eclipse Plus C_(18) column(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.8 μm) with acetonitrile(containing 0.1% formic acid) and 0.1% formic acid in water as mobile phase for gradient elution. MS data were collected by electrospray ionization in positive ion mode. According to the comparison with reference standards and the accurate masses of molecules, a total of 17 alkaloids in E. longifolia extract were identified by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS quantitative analysis result of 3 alkaloids showed that the linear ranges of them were good(r≥0.999 7) and the overall recoveries ranged from 108.8%-110.2%, with RSDs of 2.9%-5.3%. The method is accurate, reliable, and efficient, which can comprehensively reflect the constituents and content of alkaloids in E. longifolia. The result can serve as a reference for further elucidating its therapeutic material basis and quality control.
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Alkaloids , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Chromatography, Liquid , Eurycoma , Tandem Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of Eurycoma longifolia root extract (ELE) on enzymes activity in thephase II drug metabolism on Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, especially on uridine 5ʹ-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase(UGT) activity, in vivo and in vitro. The UGT assay was performed as follows: for the in vivo study, the male SDrats were treated with ELE at doses ranging from 5 to 1,000 mg/kg b.w. and 5, 25, and 50 mg/kg b.w for acuteand sub-acute study, respectively. The ELE concentrations of 0.01 to 1,000 µg/ml were used for in vitro study. Thep-nitrophenol (pNP) that consumed in the glucuronidation process reflected the UGT activity and was calculated usingstandard curve of pNP. UGT enzyme activity was inhibited significantly (p < 0.01) by ELE extract in the male rat forboth acute and sub-acute experiments. ELE extract decreased the enzyme activity significantly (p < 0.01), at all theconcentrations tested in the in vitro experiment when compared to the negative control group. ELE had a lower activity(the IC50 of 0.74 µg/ml) as compared to Na diclofenac (positive control) with an IC50 of 0.17 µg/ml. Eurycomalongifolia decreased the UGT enzyme activity significantly (p < 0.01), both for in vivo and in vitro study
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Background: Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) has gained remarkable recognition due to its promisingefficacy of stimulating bone formation in androgen-deficient osteoporosis. Numerous in vivo studies haveexplored the effects of E. longifolia on osteoporosis; however, the in vitro cellular mechanism was notdiscovered yet.Objectives: The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of E. longifolia on the proliferation,differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts and the translational mechanism of inhibition of osteoclastogenesis using RAW 264.7 cells as an in vitro osteoclastic model.Materials and methods: Having assessed cytotoxicity, the cell viability, cell proliferation rate and osteoclastic differentiation capacity of E. longifolia was investigated by evaluating the tartrate-resistant acidphosphatase (TRAP) activity in receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) ligand (RANKL)-inducedosteoclasts. Taken together, the time-mannered expression of osteoclast-related protein biomarkers suchas matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9), cathepsin-K, TRAP, nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic1 (NFATc1), superoxide (free radicals) generation and superoxide dismutase activity were also measuredto comprehend the mechanism of osteoclastogenesis.Results: E. longifolia did not show significant effects on cytotoxicity and cell proliferation of RAW 264.7cells; however, a significant inhibition of cells differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts was observed.Moreover, a significant down-regulation of RANKL-induced TRAP activity and expression of MMP-9,cathepsin-K, TRAP, NFATc1 and generation of superoxide and enhanced superoxide dismutase activitywas observed in E. longifolia treated cell cultures.Conclusion: We anticipated that E. longifolia that enhances bone regeneration on the one hand andsuppresses osteoclast’s maturation on the other hand may have great therapeutic value in treatingosteoporosis and other bone-erosive diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and metastasis associatedwith bone loss.© 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services byElsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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Objective:To examine the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the alkaloid enriched extract (ELA) from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia.Methods:The in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of ELA were evaluated by examining its inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.The level of NO produced in the culture media was determined by Griess method.The iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot.The in vivo effect of ELA was evaluated on LPS-induced septic shock in mice model.Mice mortality was monitored for 5 days after injection of LPS.The chemical contents of the ELA were determined by using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.Results:The ELA was found to exhibit a significant anti-inflammatory effect in both in vitro and in vio models.The results demonstrated that ELA dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as the protein iNOS and COX-2 expressions.In the septic shock model,ELA dose-dependently protected mice from LPS-induced mortality.Further study on the isolated components of ELA indicated that 9,1 0-dimethoxycanthin-6-one may contribute significantly to the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract.Conclusions:These results suggest that ELA exhibits the anti-inflammatory activity via suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS,and COX-2 and protects mice from LPS-induced mortality in septic shock model.
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Objective: To examine the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the alkaloid enriched extract (ELA) from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia. Methods: The in vitro antiinflammatory effects of ELA were evaluated by examining its inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The level of NO produced in the culture media was determined by Griess method. The iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot. The in vivo effect of ELA was evaluated on LPS-induced septic shock in mice model. Mice mortality was monitored for 5 days after injection of LPS. The chemical contents of the ELA were determined by using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Results: The ELA was found to exhibit a significant anti-inflammatory effect in both in vitro and in vivo models. The results demonstrated that ELA dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as the protein iNOS and COX-2 expressions. In the septic shock model, ELA dose-dependently protected mice from LPS-induced mortality. Further study on the isolated components of ELA indicated that 9,10-dimethoxycanthin-6-one may contribute significantly to the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract. Conclusions: These results suggest that ELA exhibits the anti-inflammatory activity via suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, and COX-2 and protects mice from LPS-induced mortality in septic shock model.
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@#Introduction The Eurycoma longifolia (EL) root aqueous extract has long been used as an enhancer of male sexual performance. However, data from previous studies in both human males and experimental male animals on the testosterone level in those given the EL extract orally were at best insufficiently conclusive. Materials and Method Sixty-four healthy adult male Sprague Dawley rats were acclimatized, and randomized into six test groups and one control group. All rats where given either the aqueous EL extract or distilled water via metal gavage needle. The first three test groups received the low (50mg/kg bw), medium (100mg/ kg bw) and high (200mg/kg bw) doses respectively of the EL daily for 15 days only. The second three test groups continued receiving the same daily treatment doses for 30 days. The controls were given distilled water only. At the end of each of the study period, blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture and the rats were euthanized. The testicles were obtained, weighed, and processed for histological examination. Results The sera testosterone levels were higher in animals which received the medium and high doses for both treatment duration. Rats which received medium and high oral doses of EL showed an increase of spermatogenesis and mature spermatozoa. Conclusion The optimal enhancing effect on sera testosterone levels and testicular spermatogenesis of EL treatment in adult male rats was observed with the medium dose of 100mg/kg bw given once daily for both 15 and 30 days.
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Background & objectives: In sterile insect technology (SIT), mating competitiveness is a pre-condition for the reduction of target pest populations and a crucial parameter for judging efficacy. Still, current SIT trials are being hindered by decreased effectiveness due to reduced sexual performance of released males. Here, we explored the possible role of a herbal aphrodisiac in boosting the mating activity of Aedes aegypti. Methods: Males were fed one of two diets in this study: experimental extract of Eurycoma longifolia (MSAs) and sugar only (MSOs). Differences in life span, courtship latency, copulation activity and mating success were examined between the two groups. Results: No deaths occurred among MSA and MSO males. Life span of MSOs was similar to that of MSAs. The courtship latency of MSAs was shorter than that of MSOs (P<0.01). MSAs had greater copulation success than MSOs (P<0.001). In all female treatments, MSAs mated more than MSOs, but the differences in rate were significant only in the highest female density (P<0.05). In MSAs, mating success varied significantly with female density (P<0.01), with the 20-female group (P<0.01) having the lowest rate. Single MSA had better mating success at the two lowest female densities. In MSOs, there were no significant differences in mating success rate between the different female densities. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results suggested that the herbal aphrodisiac, E. longifolia, stimulated the sexual activity of Ae. aegypti and may be useful for improving the mating competitiveness of sterile males, thus improving SIT programmes.
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Objective To investigate the effect and safety of eurycoma longifolia in the treatment of erectile dysfunction(ED) in climacteric males.Methods One hundred and thirty-four climacteric males with ED were divided into the observation group and control group,67 cases in each group.The observation group was given the therapy of eurycoma longifolia and the control group was treated with testosterone undecanoate.After 3-month treatment,the scores of EHS,SHIM,AMS,EDITS,changes of serum to-tal testosterone(TT),free testesterone(FT),luteinizing hormone(LH),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and sex hormone-bind-ing globulin(SHGB)and complication occurrence rate were compared between the two groups.Results After 3-month treatment, the scores of EHS,SHIM,AMS and EDITS,and serum TT and FT levels in the two groups were significantly improved(P<0.05),moreover the results in the observation group were better than those in the control group(P<0.05);serum LH and FSH in the observation group had no obvious changes compared with before treatment(P>0.05),while which in the control group were significantly decreased compared with before treatment(P<0.05);serum SHGB level in the observation group was decreased com-pared with before treatment(P<0.05),while which in the control group was increased compared with before treatment(P<0.05);the EDITS score in the observation group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.01);the complication incidence rate in the observation group was 2.29 %,which was significantly lower than 16.41% in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Eury-coma longifolia can significantly improve sexuality and sexual function in climacteric males.
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Eurycoma longifolia Jack (E. longifolia) is a well-recognized traditional herbal medicine that offers a wide dynamic range of biomedical applications including anti-osteoporotic, anticancer, anti-proliferative, anti-malarial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, anti-diabetic, anti-rheumatism and anti-ulcer properties. This review aims to overview the pharmacokinetic and a pharmacodynamic algorithm of E. longifolia and its bioactive components. Analysis of pharmacokinetic profile revealed that E. longifolia exhibit higher bioavailability, high volume of distribution, slow elimination rate, and does not show inhibitory effects on cytochrome P450 isoenzymes. E. longifolia has been used, alone or in combination with other pharmacological agents, in the form of crude extracts, standard extracts, or decoctions of different plant parts (i.e., herbs, shrubs, stem, leaves, and roots) for the treatment of various ailments in animals and humans. Among various bioactive constituents, eurycomanone has been found to be the most remarkable, super-stable, versatile, and most potent phytochemical (isolated or extracted from root extracts) against various types of animals and human diseases. Based on its well-established pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, we suggested that E. longifolia can be a well-accepted complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of different types of human ailments.
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Objective: To evaluate the effects of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) standardized extract on the oestrous cycle, levels of reproductive hormones and histology of the ovaries of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Female rats were orally treated with E. longifolia standardized extract at the dose levels of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 25.0, 50.0 and 100.0 mg/kg of body weight over 5 days. Vaginal smears were monitored daily within the duration and after withdrawal of the treatment before being sacrificed. The body weights of the females were recorded before and after the 5 days treatment. At the end of the experiments, blood samples were collected for determination of testosterone, oestradiol and progesterone levels. Ovaries were removed, weighed and examined for histomorphological changes. Results: The administration of E. longifolia standardized extract did not significantly alter the oestrous cycle of the rats during the 5 days treatment and after withdrawal of the treatments. This was supported by normal testosterone, oestradiol and progesterone levels as well as normal morphology of the ovaries. Conclusions: The data obtained showed that E. longifolia standardized extract did not exhibit any toxic effect on reproductive activities of female rats suggesting potential use in the management of infertility.
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Atherosclerosis in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a growing health problem, especially in developing countries. Hyperlipidemia is known as a dominant risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. This study was designed to investigate the effects of Eurycoma Longifolia (EL) also known as Malaysian Ginseng/ Tongkat Ali on the testosterone level, biochemical changes of lipid profile and intima media thickness (IMT) in rats fed on high-fat diet. Twenty young, adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were housed for 12 weeks. After one week of acclimatization, they were randomly divided into four groups of 5 animals each and treated for 12 weeks as follow: Group ND was given only normal diet, group NDEL was given normal diet and EL extracts (15mg/kg) dissolved in distilled water, group HFD was given only high fat diet and group HFDEL was given high fat diet and EL extracts (15mg/kg). Rats which were treated with EL (NDEL and HFDEL) showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the testosterone levels. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in triglyceride (TG) in HFDEL group compered to HFD group. The histological sections of aortas revealed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in IMT in HFDEL as compared with HFD group. No histological changes were observed in NDEL group compared with ND group and there was no significant difference in IMT values between NDEL and ND. These findings suggest that EL is a promising protective agent against atherosclerosis induced by high-fat diet.
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Objective To evaluate the effects of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) standardized extract on the oestrous cycle, levels of reproductive hormones and histology of the ovaries of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods Female rats were orally treated with E. longifolia standardized extract at the dose levels of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 25.0, 50.0 and 100.0 mg/kg of body weight over 5 days. Vaginal smears were monitored daily within the duration and after withdrawal of the treatment before being sacrificed. The body weights of the females were recorded before and after the 5 days treatment. At the end of the experiments, blood samples were collected for determination of testosterone, oestradiol and progesterone levels. Ovaries were removed, weighed and examined for histomorphological changes. Results The administration of E. longifolia standardized extract did not significantly alter the oestrous cycle of the rats during the 5 days treatment and after withdrawal of the treatments. This was supported by normal testosterone, oestradiol and progesterone levels as well as normal morphology of the ovaries. Conclusions The data obtained showed that E. longifolia standardized extract did not exhibit any toxic effect on reproductive activities of female rats suggesting potential use in the management of infertility.
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Eurycoma longifolia (EL) has been well recognized as a booster of male sexual health. Over the past few decades, numerous in vivo animal studies and human clinical trials have been conducted across the globe to explore the promising role of EL in managing various male sexual disorders, which include erectile dysfunction, male infertility, low libido, and downregulated testosterone levels. The aim of the present review is to analyze and summarize the literature on human clinical trials which revealed the clinical significance and therapeutic feasibility of EL in improving male sexual health. This systematic review is focused on the following databases: Medline, Wiley Online Library, BioMed Central, Hindawi, Web of Knowledge, PubMed Central and Google Scholar, using search terms such as "Eurycoma longifolia", "EL", "Tongkat Ali", "male sexual health", "sexual infertility", "erectile dysfunction", "male libido", and "testosterone levels". Notably, only human clinical studies published between 2000 and 2014 were selected and thoroughly reviewed for relevant citations. Out of 150 articles, 11 met the inclusion criteria. The majority of articles included were randomized placebo-controlled trials, multiple cohort studies, or pilot trials. All these studies demonstrated considerable effects of EL on male sexual health disorders. Among them, 7 studies revealed remarkable association between the use of EL and the efficacy in the treatment of male sexual disorders, and remaining 4 studies failed to demonstrate sufficient effects on male sexual health. In summary, there is convincing evidence for the prominence of EL in improving the male sexual health. The review also substantiates the use of current methodology in the development of novel and more rationale natural herbal medicines for the management of male sexual disorders.
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Animals , Humans , Male , Allostasis , Eurycoma , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Therapeutic Uses , Reproductive Health , Sexual Dysfunction, PhysiologicalABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To optimize the extraction and purification process of eurycomanone (EN) from Eurycoma longifolia Jack. METHODS: Using single factor test and orthogonal test to screen the best conditions of ethanol concentration, extraction time, amount of solvent and extraction times with the index of transfer rate of EN. Resin model was screened by static adsorption and desorption test, purification process of EN was investigated by single factor test and orthogonal test. RESULTS: The optimal condition of the extracting was 20-fold water, 2 times with the first 2 and 1 h for the second time. Optimal purification process of HPD100 macroporous resin was 70% amount of saturated adsorption sample, 0.25 g·mL-1 of sample liquid concentration, 3BV·h-1 of sample flow rate, eluting using the 30% ethanol, 3 BV·h-1 of elution velocity. CONCLUSION: The optimized process is simple, stable and repeatable, which is suitable for industrial production.
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Extract from plants have been reported to contain valuable bioactive compounds that have potential in promoting antioxidant activity. The present study was aimed to investigate the extracts of two plants available in Southeast Asia, Eurycoma longifolia and Swietenia macrophylla for their primary metabolite contents, phenolic contents, antioxidant and anti- tyrosinase activity. Two types of solvents were utilised in the extraction process of both plants. Ethyl acetate found to be a better solvent for isolation of primary metabolite compound compared to methanol. For Folin-Ciocalteu assay, methanol extract of Swietenia macrophylla possed higher phenolic content while for Eurycoma longifolia, ethyl acetate extract had higher phenolic content. In DPPH assay, the radical scavenging activity of extracts were strongly correlated to the total phenolic content based on the percentage of DPPH radical scavenging of each extracts (p<0.05). In tyrosinase inhibition assay, the activity of each extracts were very low compared to standard Kojic acid. It was assumed that, the ability of plant extracts to inhibit tyrosinase are partly contributed by antioxidant potential of the extracts (p<0.01).
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Currently, researchers are aiming to explore herbal plants to replace synthetic drugs because herbal plants contain high active compounds and fewer side effects. Our study was done to determine the antibacterial activity of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (E. longifolia) root using ethanol based extract. Methods: Five types of pathogenic bacterial strains were used; Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Disc diffusion assay and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) tests were used to determine the inhibition zone and turbidity of suspension which reflects the antibacterial activity of the extract. Results: The ethanolic extract of E. longifolia Jack root extract showed positive results against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and B. cereus) and Gramnegative (S. typhi). B.cereus and S.typhi showed inhibition zone values of 11.76mm and 14.33mm at the extract concentration of 150mg/ml that were higher than the positive control values (9.00, 12.67mm) respectively. However, E. coli and P. aeruginosa did not show any inhibition by the ethanol-based extract. Conclusion: From the results we can conclude that E.Longifolia root extract possesses antibacterial activity that can be further explored to produce new medicinal products.
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Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) which is better known locally as Tongkat Ali is an indigenous plant in Malaysia. It belongs to the family of Simaroubaceae and is popular as a traditional medicine for its aphrodisiac properties. Throughout the years, several studies have been conducted to prove its effect on aphrodisiac action, antimalarial, antibacterial and anxiolytic properties but its effect to the cardiovascular system had not been fully explored. This study was aimed to demonstrate the changes that take place in the isolated heart following the injection of the extract. Methods: Three parameters that were measured included the coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), the left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) and the heart rate (HR). Eighteen isolated rat hearts were used and were divided equally into three groups. The first group was to observe the effect of Isoprenaline, a β agonist while the second group was to see the effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) donor. The dose which gave the maximum effect for these two positive controls was used to compare with the effect of E. longifolia water extract in the third group of rats. Isolated heart was mounted using the Langendorff apparatus and perfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer. Doses of controls and the extract were instilled through an injection port, and the effect of each dose was monitored. Results: E. longifolia extract was found to reduce the CPP in normotensive rat at two of the highest doses. A dose of 1.0 mg of the extract reduced the CPP significantly from 34.52 ± 4.99 mmHg of the baseline value to 31.99 ± 4.93 mmHg while the dose of 10.0 mg of the extract reduced the CPP significantly to 32.67 ± 3.89 mmHg. However, there were no significant changes of effect of the extract on the LVDP and HR as compared to control. Conclusion: These early findings suggest that E. longifolia extract may have vasodilatory property, which supports its traditional usage with minimum cardiovascular side effects.
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Presently, the use of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (ELJ) (Tongkat Ali) has increased dramatically in Southeast Asia especially Malaysia where it is widely used as aphrodisiac and anti-malarial agent. Interestingly, its consumption has become popular in daily life as beverage to enhance energy and stamina especially among males. However, its effect on the safety of vital organs of the body has not been studied adequately. Hence, the main objective of this study was to determine whether or not long-term use of ELJ any has side effects on the liver in rats. Methods: Three different concentrations of aqueous extract of ELJ were prepared and dissolved in distilled water. A total of 32 Sprague-Dawley male rats were used and randomly divided into three test groups and control. The test groups were given different doses (low dose 250 mg/kg bw, medium dose 500mg/kg bw and high dose 1000 mg/kg bw) of aqueous extract of ELJ, respectively. Control group was given distilled water alone. Doses were given orally and daily for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks, animals were sacrificed; whole liver tissues were obtained, fixed in 10 percent formaldehyde overnight for histological examination. Result: Histological observations showed mild to moderate degrees of hemorrhage, hepatocytes degeneration and severe fatty changes in liver tissue of the test groups treated with ELJ as compared to control. Conclusion: In conclusion, the long-term daily consumption of ELJ in large quantity as beverage may cause fatty changes, hemorrhage and hepatocytes degeneration in the liver tissue.
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Background: Buceng {combination of pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) and purwoceng (Pimpinella alpine Molk)} has been proven to increase testosterone (Te) level and decrease apoptosis. Unfortunately, there is no evidence whether these effects are mediated by the declining of caspase3. Objective of this study was to evaluate whether buceng could decrease the expression of caspase3 of penis and prostate cells in Sprague Dawley male rats. Methods: Twenty four Sprague Dawley male rats weighing 300 g (90 days old) were randomly assigned into 4 groups of 6 male rats. Group A, rats were castrated and received buceng 50 mg. Group B, rats were not castrated, sacrifices as positive control. Group C, rats were castrated and given 2 mL aquadest as negative control. Group D, rats were castrated and got of 6.75 mg mesterolone, dissolved in 2 mL water. MANOVA statistical analysis was adopted to examine the difference expression of caspase3 in all groups. The comparison of caspase3 expression between two groups exhibiting difference values were evaluated by Post Hoc test. Results: MANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the expression of caspase3 of penis and prostate tissues among the four groups. Post Hoct test also indicated that expression of caspase3 in group A (buceng) (33.56; 35.83) was significantly lower compared to group C (negative control) (54.33; 60.07) and group D (mesterolone) (51.91;56.21), p = 0.000, and higher compared than group B or normal rats (29.40; 27.72), but statistically not significant (p = 0.826). Conclusion: The treatment of 50 mg buceng/day for 30 consecutive days could decrease caspase3 expression in penis and prostate cells.