Abstract：
Acorus gramineus has a number of beneficial effects, including protective effects against age-related disorders. In this study, the effects of A. gramineus on testosterone production and andropause symptoms were evaluated. We first treated TM3 mouse Leydig cells, responsible for testosterone production, with A. gramineus aqueous extract at different concentrations. In TM3 cells, the testosterone concentration increased in a concentration-dependent manner compared with those in the control. In addition, at 400 μg/mL extract, the mRNA expression level of the steroidogenic enzyme CYP11A1 was increased. Subsequently, 23-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats exhibiting an age-related reduction in serum testosterone (approximately 80% lower than that in 7-week-old SD rats) were administered A. gramineus aqueous extract for 8 weeks. Serum total testosterone and free testosterone levels were higher and serum estradiol, prostate-specific antigen levels, and total cholesterol levels were lower in the AG50 group (A. gramineus aqueous extract 50 mg/kg of body weight/day) than in the OLD (control group). The AG50 group also showed significant elevations in sperm count, grip strength, and mRNA expression of StAR, CYP11A1, 17β-HSD, and CYP17A1 compared with those in the OLD group. In conclusion, A. gramineus aqueous extract facilitated steroidogenesis in Leydig cells, elevated testosterone levels, lowered serum estradiol and total cholesterol levels, and increased muscle strength and sperm count, thus alleviating the symptoms of andropause. These findings suggest that A. gramineus aqueous extract is a potentially effective therapeutic agent against various symptoms associated with andropause.
摘要：
水蛭有许多有益的作用，包括对年龄相关疾病的保护作用。在这项研究中,评估了禾本科草对睾酮产生和更年期症状的影响。我们首先处理了TM3小鼠睾丸间质细胞，负责睾丸激素的产生，用不同浓度的A.gramineus水提取物。在TM3细胞中，与对照组相比，睾酮浓度呈浓度依赖性增加。此外,400μg/mL提取物，类固醇生成酶CYP11A1的mRNA表达水平升高。随后，对表现出与年龄相关的血清睾酮降低(比7周龄SD大鼠低大约80%)的23周龄Sprague-Dawley(SD)大鼠施用A.gramineus水性提取物8周。血清总睾酮和游离睾酮水平较高，血清雌二醇，前列腺特异性抗原水平,AG50组的总胆固醇水平较低(A.禾本科植物水提取物50mg/kg体重/天）比OLD（对照组）。AG50组的精子数量也显著升高，握力,和StAR的mRNA表达，CYP11A1,17β-HSD,和CYP17A1与OLD组相比。总之,A.禾本科植物水提取物促进了Leydig细胞中的类固醇生成，睾酮水平升高,降低血清雌二醇和总胆固醇水平，增加肌肉力量和精子数量，从而减轻了男性更年期的症状。这些发现表明，禾本科草的水提取物是一种潜在有效的治疗药物，可以对抗与雄激素有关的各种症状。
