The Effects of Cynomorium songaricum on the Reproductive Activity in Male Golden Hamsters

Research Progress in Traditional Applications, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Safety Evaluation of Cynomorium songaricum

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CSR) belongs to the family Cynomoriaceae. It is a perennial succulent parasitic herb with a reddish-brown coloration, predominantly submerged in sand and lacking chlorophyll. Traditionally, it has been used in ethnic medicine to treat various diseases, such as gastric ulcers, indigestion, bowel movements, and improving sexual function. To comprehensively collect CSR data, extensive literature searches were conducted using medical, ecological, and scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). This article summarizes and categorizes research on the uses, phytochemical characteristics, pharmacological activities, and toxicity of ethnic medicine, with the aim of establishing a solid foundation and proposing new avenues for exploring and developing potential applications of CSR. So far, a total of 98 compounds have been isolated and identified from CSR, including flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, and other compounds. It is worth noting that flavonoids and polysaccharides have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, these compounds also show good application prospects in anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-fatigue, anti-diabetes, and other aspects. Although extensive progress has been made in the basic research of CSR, further research is still needed to enhance the understanding of its mechanism of action and explore more unknown compounds. Our review indicates that CSR has broad prospects and deserves further research.

Blood-Testis Barrier and Sperm Delayed in the Cauda Epididymis of the Reproductively Regressed Syrian Hamsters

The Syrian (golden) hamsters are seasonal breeders whose reproductive functions are active in summer and inactive in winter. In experimental facility mimicking winter climate, short photoperiod (SP) induces gonadal regression. The blood-testis barrier (BTB) of the sexually involuted animals have been reported to be permeable, allowing developing germ cells to be engulfed or sloughed off the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules. The expressions of genes related to the tight junction composing of BTB were investigated in the reproductive active and inactive testes. Claudin-11, occludin, and junctional adhesion molecule (JAM) were definitely expressed in the active testes but not discernably detected in the inactive testes. And spermatozoa (sperm) were observed in the whole lengths of epididymides in the active testes. They were witnessed in only cauda region of the epididymides but not in caput and corpus regions in animals with the inactive testes. The results imply that the disorganization of BTB is associated with the testicular regression. The developing germ cells are swallowed into the Sertoli cells or travel into the lumen, as supported by the presence of the sperm delayed in the last region of the epididymis. These outcomes suggest that both apoptosis and desquamation are the processes that eliminate the germ cells during the regressing stage in the Syrian hamsters.

The Effects of Daily Melatonin Gavage on Reproductive Activity in the Male Syrian Hamsters

The proper administration of melatonin has well been documented to induce testicular regression in seasonal breeding animals. The subcutaneous injections of melatonin in the afternoon, not in the morning, consistently occurred testicular involution in the male Syrian (golden) hamsters whose reproductive activity is regulated by the photoperiod. But the effects of daily melatonin via gavage have not been estimated. Golden hamsters housed in long photoperiod (LP) were divided into 5 groups: the control animals housed in LP or in short photoperiod (SP) and animals treated daily with low (15 μg), middle (150 μg), and high dosages (1,500 μg) of pure melatonin by using gavage in the evening for 8 weeks. As results, LP control animals had large testes and SP controls displayed small and entirely regressed testes. The animals treated with various dosages of melatonin showed collectively degenerating effects on the weights of testes, epididymides, and seminal vesicles in the middle and high dosage groups, with the individual differences as well. The high dosages induced testicular regression in more proportion than the middle dosages did. The low dosage had large testes like the LP control animals. The small and inactive testes shown in some animals of both middle and high groups presented the complete regression as those of the animals maintained in SP. These results strongly suggest that the administrations of melatonin lead to testicular involution in the male golden hamsters when it is administered through gavage.

Simultaneous Determination of Phenolic Acids, Anthraquinones, Flavonoids, and Triterpenes of Cynomorii Herba in Different Harvest Times by LC-MS/MS

A sensitive and accurate method was developed for the simultaneous determination of twelve components including phenolic acids (gallic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid), flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin, rutin, luteolin, luteolin-7-glucoside, and epicatechin gallate), anthraquinones (emodin), and triterpenes (ursolic acid) in Cynomorii herba in different harvest times by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Eclipse plus C₁₈ (3.0 mm × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) column at 40°C. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.05% formic acid with a gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL·min ^-1. Under the optimized conditions, there was good linear relation (r ≥ 0.9944) and satisfactory precision (RSD values less than 5.65%). The recoveries of the twelve components were in the range of 93.5-105%. Moreover, the limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.003 to 21 ng mL^-1 for the twelve analytes. In conclusion, the validated method was successfully applied to analyze the change regularity of the twelve components of Cynomorii herba in different harvest times. It provides a theoretical basis for choosing the suitable harvesting time of Cynomorii herba.

Cynomorium Songaricum may protect against spermatogenic damage caused by cyclophosphamide in SD rats

Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of Cynomorium songaricum (CS) on the damage caused by cyclophosphamide (CP) in SD rats. Methods: Rats with CP-induced oligoasthenospermia were treated with different concentration of CS. Testicle weight, epididymal sperm count (ESC), sperm motility, and serum testosterone were analyzed, and expression levels of Thy1, Oct4, PLZF, C-kit, and GDNF were detected in testis tissues. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to observe the effect of CS on the spermatogenic damage by CP. Results: Compared with the CP group, there were significant differences in testicle weight, ESC, and sperm motility (p<0.05) observed in all concentrations of CS and CP+VitE groups (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in serum testosterone among the 6 groups (p>0.05). The qPCR results revealed a significant difference in Thy1, Oct4, PLZF and GDNF expression between the CP group and CS group (p <0.05), but there was no significant difference in C-kit between the two groups (p>0.05). The damage of CP was cured by CS observed under TEM. Conclusion: CS can increase sperm counts in the epididymis and improve sperm motility and has a therapeutic effect on the spermatogenic damage caused by CP in SD rats.

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr demonstrates phytoestrogenic or phytoandrogenic like activities that attenuates benign prostatic hyperplasia via regulating steroid 5-α-reductase

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CS) belongs to the genus of parasitic perennial flowering plants, mostly used in Chinese traditional medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment. BPH is a chronic disease in men that both androgen and estrogen play a crucial role in promoting its development via their receptors. Previously we have showed that compounds from CS have the phytoestrogenic and/or phytoandrogenic activities that may have the potential suppressive effects on BPH, while the mechanism remains unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of CS and its derived compounds: luteolin (LUT), gallic acid (GA), protocatechuic acid (PA) and protocatechualdehyde (Pra) on inhibition of rat BPH and proliferation of BPH-1 cell line respectively, and further uncover whether it is related with the phytoestrogenic and / or phytoandrogenic activities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Estradiol/testosterone (1:100) was subcutaneous injected to induce BPH in a castrated rat model, and CS was orally administrated for 45 days. Then the weights of the body and prostate were recorded, the pathogenesis changes of prostate were analyzed by Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical (IHC). The levels of 17β-estradiol (E₂), testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from rats' serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In vitro, human benign prostatic epithelial cell BPH-1 was cultured and treated with or without different CS compounds and DHT or E₂. MTT and CCK-8 assays were performed to detect the regulatory effects on cell proliferation. The expressions of PCNA, AR, ERα, ERβ, and steroid 5-α-reductases (SRD5A1 and SRD5A2) were further analyzed by western blotting upon treatment.

RESULTS

Treatment with CS significantly inhibited rat prostate enlargement, improved the pathological feature and reduced the thickness of smooth muscle layer. The up-regulated AR and ERα expressions and down-regulated ERβ in BPH rat prostate were significantly blocked after CS administration. Moreover, the enhanced values of E₂/testosterone and the level of DHT in serum were also strongly inhibited in CS group compared with those in BPH groups. In cellular level, LUT, GA, PA, or Pra significantly inhibited DHT- or E₂- induced BPH-1 cell proliferation and PCNA expressions. Consistently with the data in vivo, compounds from CS interfered the DHT or E₂-regulated AR, ERα and ERβ expressions in BPH-1 cells as well. Importantly, the dramatic increased SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 expressions were observed in BPH rat prostates and DHT or E₂-stimulated BPH-1 cells. However, treatment with CS in rat or with compounds isolated from CS in BPH-1 cells significantly blocked the induction of SRD5A1 and SRD5A2.

CONCLUSIONS

CS suppressed BPH development through interfering with prostatic AR, ERα/β, and SRD5A1/2 expressions, which provided evidence of CS for BPH treatment.

Toxicity Assessment of Chinese Herbal Medicine Cynomorium songaricum Rupr

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr, known as Suo Yang, is most commonly used to treat fatigue, protect the liver, and invigorate kidneys in Northwest China. Given the wide medicinal utilisation and lack of safety evaluation, this work evaluated the acute toxicity, genetic toxicity, and 90-day repeated oral toxicity of Suo Yang. Twenty Kunming mice were orally given Suo Yang once and observed for 14 days in the acute toxicity test. The genetic toxicity of Suo Yang was tested using in vivo and vitro assays (bacterial reverse mutation test, mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay, and spermatocyte chromosomal aberration assay). In the 90-day repeated oral toxicity study, 80 SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups and then orally given Suo Yang at different concentrations (1.04, 2.08 or 4.16 g/kg), while the control group was given sterile water. In the acute toxicity test, no abnormal behaviour or mortality was found in mice. The results suggest that the maximum tolerable dose of Suo Yang is greater than 15 g/kg. In the genotoxicity studies, no revertant colonies were produced in vitro. In the in vivo assays, no increased frequencies of micronuclei or structural abnormalities of spermatocyte chromosomes were found. In the 90-day repeated oral toxicity study, no significant toxicological manifestations were observed in haematological parameters or clinical and pathological examinations. In summary, these results suggest that Suo Yang at the given doses does not cause adverse effects in animals. Thus, Suo Yang can reasonably be considered a safe herbal medicine.

Anticancer Activity of Cynomorium coccineum

The extensive applications of Cynomorium species and their rich bioactive secondary metabolites have inspired many pharmacological investigations. Previous research has been conducted to examine the biological activities and numerous interesting pharmaceutical activities have been reported. However, the antitumor activities of these species are unclear. To understand the potential anticancer activity, we screened Cynomorium coccineum and Cynomorium songaricum using three different extracts of each species. In this study, the selected extracts were evaluated for their ability to decrease survival rates of five different cancer cell lines. We compared the cytotoxicity of the three different extracts to the anticancer drug vinblastine and one of the most well-known medicinal mushrooms Amaurederma rude. We found that the water and alcohol extracts of C. coccineum at the very low concentrations possessed very high capacity in decreasing the cancer cells viability with a potential inhibition of tumorigenesis. Based on these primitive data, we subsequently tested the ethanol and the water extracts of C. coccineum, respectively in in vitro and in vivo assays. Cell cycle progression and induction of programmed cell death were investigated at both biological and molecular levels to understand the mechanism of the antitumor inhibitory action of the C. coccineum. The in vitro experiments showed that the treated cancer cells formed fewer and smaller colonies than the untreated cells. Cell cycle progression was inhibited, and the ethanol extract of C.coccineum at a low concentration induced accumulation of cells in the G1 phase. We also found that the C. coccineum’s extracts suppressed viability of two murine cancer cell lines. In the in vivo experiments, we injected mice with murine cancer cell line B16, followed by peritoneal injection of the water extract. The treatment prolonged mouse survival significantly. The tumors grew at a slower rate than the control. Down-regulation of c-myc expression appeared to be associated with these effects. Further investigation showed that treatment with C.coccineum induced the overexpression of the tumor suppressor Foxo3 and other molecules involved in inducing autophagy. These results showed that the C. coccineum extract exerts its antiproliferative activity through the induction of cell death pathway. Thus, the Cynomorium plants appear to be a promising source of new antineoplastic compounds.

Partitioning of Fungal Endophyte Assemblages in Root-Parasitic Plant Cynomorium songaricum and Its Host Nitraria tangutorum

Endophytic fungi are an integral part and even seen as host organs of plant, influencing physiology, ecology, and development of host plants. However, little is known about micro-ecosystems and functional interactions of endophytic fungi in root-parasitic interactions of Cynomorium songaricum and its host Nitraria tangutorum. Here, distribution and dynamics of endophytic fungi were objectively investigated in their associations with C. songaricum and N. tangutorum based on mycobiome studies using high-throughput sequencing. Results suggest that endophytic fungi may be exchanged between C. songaricum and its host N. tangutorum probably through haustorium, connection of xylem and phloem in the vascular system. The similarity of endophytic fungal composition between C. songaricum and parasitized N. tangutorum was 3.88% which was significantly higher than the fungal similarity of 0.10% observed between C. songaricum and non-parasitized N. tangutorum. The similarities of fungal community in parasitized N. tangutorum were much closer to C. songaricum than to the non-parasitized N. tangutorum. The composition of endophytic fungi in these associations increased in progressive developmental stages of C. songaricum from sprouting to above ground emergence, and decreased subsequently probably due to host recognition and response by fungi. However, the shared fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) increased among interactions of C. songaricum with parasitized and non-parasitized N. tangutorum. Studies of bioactivity on culturable endophytic fungi showed that isolates such as Fusarium spp. possess the ability to promote seed germination of C. songaricum. Our study reports for the first time the special ecological system of endophytic fungi in C. songaricum and its host N. tangutorum. Overall, we hypothesize that a deeper understanding of the sharing, movement, and role of endophytic fungi between root-parasitic plant and its host may lead to finding alternative approaches to help increase the output of ethno-pharmacologically important medicinal plants.

A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review on Cynomorium songaricum as Functional and Medicinal Food

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CSR) has a long history of being widely used as a functional food and medicine by different ethnic groups worldwide; CSR is used to treat impotence and premature ejaculation and traditionally used as natural source of tonic food. Numerous bioactive compounds linked with human health were recently identified. In this work, all available information on CSR were retrieved from NCBI PubMed and CNKI database, and the recent findings about the compositions and functions of CSR were summarized. At least 76 bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, organic acids, saccharides, glycosides, and phloroglucinol adducts, were isolated and identified in CSR. These compounds render CSR with pharmacological functions, such as anti-aging, anti-oxidation, anti-fatigue, and anti-HIV activities, and the effects of CSR on immune system, nervous system, reproductive system, and other bioactivities were well reviewed; results serve as valuable data for further research and for development of human health-related products. However, studies on CSR were far from perfect, and further research is warranted. This paper highlights the components and pharmacological functions of CSR, with the aim to provide a comprehensive review and useful data for future studies and for the development of relevant food products.

Bitter Melon Seed Extract does not Alter Photoperiodic Effects on Reproduction of Male Golden Hamsters

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia, MC) has been used in traditional Korean medicine in treating diabetes. In addition, some reports were emerged, showing the antifertility activities of MC in mammals. We investigated the effects of ethanolic MC extract on the reproductive activity of golden hamsters whose spermatogenetic capacity is controlled by their photoperiods. The animals were divided into 4 groups: long photoperiod (LP) control, short photoperiod (SP) control, and LP animals treated with MC. The animals were orally ingested with low (0.03 g/kg) or high (0.15 g/kg) concentrations of the ethanolic extracts for 8 weeks on the daily basis. The control animals received the vehicle. The animals were then mated with age-matched females, experienced pregnancy. As results, the LP control animals showed active large testes but SP control animals displayed remarkably reduced testes. The animals treated with both concentrations of MC extracts demonstrated large testes, indicating fertile activity as animals in LP. LP control animals had litters as expected, but SP controls had no litters at all. MC extract showed the same results as LP animals in generating offsprings. These results suggest that the MC extract does not change the photoperiodic influence on reproductive activity of male golden hamsters.

Compounds from Cynomorium songaricum with Estrogenic and Androgenic Activities Suppress the Oestrogen/Androgen-Induced BPH Process

Objective

To investigate the phytoestrogenic and phytoandrogenic activities of compounds isolated from CS and uncover the role of CS in prevention of oestrogen/androgen-induced BPH.

Methods

Cells were treated with CS compounds, and immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect the nuclear translocation of ERα or AR in MCF-7 or LNCaP cells; luciferase reporter assay was performed to detect ERs or AR transcriptional activity in HeLa or AD293 cells; MTT assay was performed to detect the cell proliferation of MCF-7 or LNCaP cells. Oestrogen/androgen-induced BPH model was established in rat and the anti-BPH, anti-estrogenic, and anti-androgenic activities of CS in vivo were further investigated.

Results

The nuclear translocation of ERα was stimulated by nine CS compounds, three of which also stimulated AR translocation. The transcriptional activities of ERα and ERβ were induced by five compounds, within which only ECG induced AR transcriptional activity as well. Besides, ECG stimulated the proliferation of both MCF-7 cells and LNCaP cells. CS extract suppressed oestrogen/androgen-induced BPH progress in vivo by downregulation of E2 and T level in serum and alteration of the expressions of ERα, ERβ, and AR in the prostate.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrates that compounds from CS exhibit phytoestrogenic and phytoandrogenic activities, which may contribute to inhibiting the oestrogen/androgen-induced BPH development.

The Potential Regressive Role of Syzygium aromaticum on the Reproduction of Male Golden Hamsters

The flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum (clove) have been used as traditional medicine for the treatment of male sexual disorders in Asian countries. Recently, there are some reports about the effects of the clove on reproductive activities in mammals. Therefore, its effect on testicular function was examined in male golden hamsters whose reproductive activity is inhibited by photoperiod such as winter climate. The male animals were given by daily oral administrations (56 consecutive days) in three doses (4 mg, 20 mg, and 100 mg/kg BW) of the alcoholic extract of the clove. Generally lower dose (4 mg) of the extract continued to keep the reproductive activities of testes. The both middle and high doses (20 mg and 100 mg) of the extract completely inhibited the testicular activity in some animals. Taken together, these results suggest a possible biphasic action of alcoholic extract of Syzygium aromaticum flower bud on testicular function.