Journal of Embryo Transfer (한국수정란이식학회지)

The Korean Society of Embryo Transfer (한국수정란이식학회)
권호 표지

Gelatinized and Fermented Powders of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Improve Physical Stamina and Epididymal Sperm Counts in Male Mice

  • Shin, Sun-Hee (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Park, Dong-Sun (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Jeon, Jeong-Hee (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Joo, Seong-Soo (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Kim, Yun-Bae (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Kang, Hyun-Gu (College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
  • Published : 2008.12.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Lepidium meyenii, known as Maca, is traditionally employed in the Andean region for its supposed properties to improve energy and fertility. In the present study, we investigated the effects of gelatinized and fermented Maca on improvement of physical stamina and epididymal sperm counts, and on blood biochemical parameters related to fatigue and tissue injury: creatine phosphokinase, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, glucose, total cholesterol and total proteins. Adult male mice was divided at random into two main groups (resting and excercise groups). The excercise group was separated into three subgroups (exercise only, exercise with gelatinized Maca and fermented Maca-treatment groups). Gelatinized or fermented Maca (800 mg/kg) were orally administered for 30 days. All animals in exercise groups were subjected to daily 30-min swimming for 28 days 30 min after Maca treatment. Daily exercise decreased the body weight gain, and fermented Maca further attenuated the body weight increase. Gelatinized and fermented Maca significantly increased the maximum swimming time on 14 and 28 days of treatment (p<0.05), respectively, suggestive of a long-term stamina-enhancing effect of fermented Maca. Both Maca fully or significantly recovered blood parameters of energy as well as muscular and hepatocytic injuries changed by repeated exercise and maximum swimming performance (p<0.01). Moreover, gelatinized and fermented Maca increased epididymal sperm counts 22.0% and 32.0%, respectively. In conclusion, the results indicate potential benefits of Maca for improving both physical stamina by minimizing muscular and hepatic damage and preserving energy during swimming exercise and male reproductive function by increasing epididymal sperm counts.

Keywords

References

  1. Anjaneyulu M, Chopra K and Kaur I. 2003. Antidepressant activity of quercetin, a bioflavonoid, in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. J. Med. Food 6:391-395 https://doi.org/10.1089/109662003772519976
  2. Burr JR, Reinhart GA, Swenson RA, Swaim SE, Vaughn DM and Bradley DM. 1997. Serum biochemical values in sled dogs before and after competing in long-distance races. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 211:175-179
  3. Chung F, Rubio J, Gonzales C, Gasco M and Gonzales GF. 2005. Dose-response effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) aqueous extract on testicular function and weight of different organs in adult rats. J. Ethnopharmacol. 98:143-147 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2005.01.028
  4. Cicero AFG, Bandiere E and Arletti R. 2001. Lepidium meyenii Walp improves sexual behaviour in male rats independently from its action on spontaneous locomotor activity. J. Ethnopharmacol. 75:225-229 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(01)00195-7
  5. Cicero AFG, Piacente S, Plaza A, Sala E, Arletti R and Pizza C. 2002. Hexanic Maca extracts improves rat sexual performance more effectively than methanolic and chloroformic Maca extracts. Andrologia 34:177-179 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0272.2002.00490.x
  6. Coombes JS and McNaughton LR. 2000. Effects of branchedchain amino acid supplementation on serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase after prolonged exercise. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness 40:240-246
  7. Estrada-Camarena E, Contreras CM, Saavedra M, Luna-Baltazar I and Lopez-Rubalcava C. 2002. Participation of the lateral septal nuclei (LSN) in the antidepressant-like actions of progesterone in the forced swimming test (FST). Behav. Brain Res. 134:175-183 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4328(02)00023-2
  8. Gasco M, Aguilar J and Gonzales GF. 2007. Effect of chronic treatment with three varieties of Lepidium meyenii on reproductive parameters and DNA quantification in adult male rats. Andrologia 39:151-158 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0272.2007.00783.x
  9. Gonzales C, Rubio J, Gasco M, Nieto J, Yucra S and Gonzales GF. 2006. Effect of short-term and long-term treatments with three ecotypes of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on spermatogenesis in rats. J. Ethnopharmacol. 103:448-454 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.035
  10. Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Gonzales C, Chung A, Vega K and Villena A. 2001a. Lepidium meyenii (Maca) improved semen parameters in adult men. Asian J. Androl. 3:301-303
  11. Gonzales GF, Gasco M, Cordova A, Chung A, Rubio J and Villegas L. 2004. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on spermatogenesis in male rats acutely exposed to high altitude (4340 m). J. Endocrinol. 180:87-95 https://doi.org/10.1677/joe.0.1800087
  12. Gonzales GF, Rubio J, Chung A, Gasco M and Villegas L. 2003. Effect of alcoholic extract of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on testicular function in male rats. Asian J. Androl. 5:349-352
  13. Gonzales GF, Ruiz A, Gonzales C, Villegas L and Cordova A. 2001b. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) roots on spermatogenesis of male rats. Asian J. Androl. 3:231-233
  14. Griebel G, Simiand J, Serradeil-Le Gal C, Wagnon J, Pascal M, Scatton B, Maffrand JP and Soubrie P. 2002. Anxiolyticand antidepressant-like effects of the non-peptide vasopressin V1b receptor antagonist, SSR149415, suggest an innovative approach for the treatment of stress-related disorders. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:6370-6375
  15. Hur HJ, Lee KW, Kim HY, Chung DK and Lee HJ. 2006. In vitro immunopotentiating activities of cellular fractions of lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi and bifidobacteria. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 16:661-666
  16. Kim J, Ishibashi M, Nakajima K, Aou S, Hatanaka A, Oomura Y and Sasaki K. 2005. Effects of green odor on expression of Fos-immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus in forced swimming rats. Chem. Senses 30 (Suppl. 1):i266-i267 https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjh217
  17. Kim N and Ji GE. 2006. Modulatory activity of Bifidobacterium sp. BGN4 cell fractions on immune cells. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 16:584-589
  18. Koo H-N, Lee J-K, Hong S-H and Kim H-M. 2004. Herbkines increases physical stamina in mice. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 27 (1):117-119 https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.27.117
  19. Lee KJ, Dabrowsi K, Rinchard J, Gomez C, Guz L and Vilchez C. 2004. Supplementation of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) tubermeal in diets improves growth rate and survival of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) alevins and juveniles. Aquac. Res. 35:215-223 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2004.01022.x
  20. Montorsi F, Guazzoni G, Rigatti P and Pozza G. 1995. Pharmacological management of erectile dysfunction. Drugs 50: 465-479 https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199550030-00005
  21. Moriura T, Matsuda U and Kubo M. 1996. Phamacological study on Agkistrodon blomhoffii blomhoffi BOIE. V. Antifatigue effect of the 50% ethanol extract in acute weightloaded forced swimming-treated rats. Biol. Pharm. Bull 11:62-66
  22. Nyman M. 1995. Effects of processing on dietary fibre in vegetables. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 49 (Suppl. 3):S215-S218
  23. Oshima M, Gu Y and Tsukada S. 2003. Effects of Lepidium meyenii Walp and Jatropha macrantha on blood levels of estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, testosterone and the rate of embryo implantation in mice. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 65:1145-1146 https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.65.1145
  24. Rubio J, Caldas M, Dávila S, Gasco M and Gonzales GF. 2006. Effect of three different cultivars of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on learning and depression in ovariectomized mice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 6:23 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-23
  25. Steinkraus KH. 1983. Lactic acid fermentation in the production of foods from vegetables, cereals and legumes. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 49:337-348 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00399508
  26. Tejani-Butt S, Kluczynski J and Pare WP. 2003. Strain-dependent modification of behavior following antidepressant treatment. Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry 27 (1):7-14 https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.27.1.7
  27. Valerio LG and Gonzales GF. 2005. Toxicological aspects of the South American herbs Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) and Maca (Lepidium meyenii). A critical synopsis. Toxicological Reviews 24:11-15 https://doi.org/10.2165/00139709-200524010-00002
  28. Wu JL, Wu QP, Huang JM, Chen R, Cai M and Tan JB. 2007. Effects of L-malate on physical stamina and activities of enzymes related to the malate-aspartate shuttle in liver of mice. Physiol. Res. 56:213-220
  29. Zheng BL, He K, Kim CH, Rogers L, Shao Y, Huang ZY, Lu Y, Yan SJ, Qien LC and Zheng QY. 2000. Effect of a lipidic extract from Lepidium meyenii on sexual behavior in mice and rats. Urology 55:598-602 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-4295(99)00549-X