(The FASEB Journal. 2008;22:lb706)
© 2008 FASEB
Ethanol extract of Psoralea corylifolia L. and its main constituent, bakuchiol, attenuate menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized Sprague Dawley rats
Suna Kim1,
Tae Youl Ha1,
Jiyun Ahn1,
Jae Ho Park1,
Sun Hye Lim1 and
Young Sup Kim2
1 Korea Food Research Institute, Sungnam-Si, Korea, Republic of,
2 Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Korea, Republic of
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate whether the ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia L. (PCE) and its active components alleviate menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Estrogenic activities of the main fractions from extracts were screened by in vitro assays and identified bakuchiol. Seventy female SD rats were assigned to either a Sham group (n = 10) or an OVX group (n = 60). The OVX group was subdivided into: a vehicle group (n = 10); bakuchiol treated groups (dose of 15 mg/kg/day or 30 mg/kg/day, n = 10 for each group); PCE supplemented groups (0.25% or 0.5% extracts of diets, n = 10 for each group); and a 17β-estradiol-treated group (20 µg/kg/day, n = 10). Bakuchiol and PCE treatments had no uterotrophic activity even though they demonstrated estrogenic activity in the in vitro assays. Bakuchiol and PCE treatments prevented postmenopausal bone loss by elevating the bone-sparing effects by increasing alkaline phosphatase, Ca concentrations, estradiol concentration in serum, bone mineral density, and by decreasing the inorganic phosphorous level. Bakuchiol and PCE treatments significantly decreased the serum concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol, and increased the HDL concentration, indicating an improvement in the lipid profile in OVX rats. Our study indicated that Bakuchiol and PCE treatments could alleviate menopausal symptoms.
