Testicular 17 beta-hydroxysteroids dehydrogenase and serum testosterone level in male sprague-dawley rats treated with eurycoma longifolia and polyalthia bullata

The most popular traditional herbs that is used as aphrodisiac in Malaysia is the Eurycoma longifolia (Simaroubaceae family) also known as Tongk:at Ali by locals in Malaysia. It is famous for its aphrodisiac activity and traditional supplement for the enhancement of sexuality and fertility. Polyalthia bullata (Annonceae family) or famously known as Tongk:at Ali hitam is also one of the traditional herbs that is claimed to same aphrodisiac properties as E. longifolia. However, this claim has not yet proven. This project was conducted to provide evidence for the given claim by measuring testosterone level, morphometric changes and the gene expression of 17βHSD, which is the enzyme for production of testosterone. The experiment was conducted using 24 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into 3 groups which is the control group (treated with distilled water) and two treatment groups (treated with E. longifolia and P. bullata extract). They were treated for 14 days. Treatment groups were given the dose 800mg/kg for both extract. Testosterone level was measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. 17βHSD expression was determined by using Real-time PCR and fold change was calculated using relative quantitation method (2-△△ct). Result of morphometric changes showed that only P. bullata significantly decreased in body weight (p<0.05) and no significant difference in reproductive organs weight between all groups. Testosterone level significantly decreased for P. bullata treated group when compared to control (p<0.05). 17βHSD expression shows a significant upregulation (p<0.05) with fold change of 1.13 for the E. longifolia treated rats. In conclusion, this project provide further insight on the morphometric changes, testosterone level, and 17βHSD expression of the rats treated with E. longifolia and P. bullata. However, further study should be conducted to provide the full insight of the effects of consuming E. longifolia and P. bullata.