Androgenic activity of the Thai traditional male potency herb, Butea superba Roxb., in female rats

Butea superba Roxb. (Leguminosae) is a well-known Thai male potency herb with androgenic and anti-estrogenic activities. We evaluated whether oral administration of Butea superba has an androgenic or anti-estrogenic activity in female rats. Normal and ovariectomized adult female rats were each subdivided into five groups, DW, BS-10, BS-50, BS-250 and TP, and gavaged with 0, 10, 50 and 250 mg/kg BW/day of the crude of Butea superba and subcutaneously injected with 6 mg/kg BW/day of testosterone propionate (TP), respectively, during the treatment period.

The result was orally administered Butea superba tubers have an androgenic effect on the reproductive organs of intact and ovariectomized rats, and exhibit anti-estrogenic activity on LH secretion in ovariectomized rats. That the androgenic activity of Butea superba is elicited in females as well as in males makes it a choice of potential androgenic plants.

Suchinda Malaivijitnond, A-ngun Ketsuwan, GenWatanabe, Kazuyoshi Taya and Wichai Cherdshewasart
Primate Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phyathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Interdepartment of Physiology Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
Department of Basic Veterinary Science, the United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan

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