S -allyl Cysteine Enhances Testosterone Production in Mice and Mouse Testis-Derived I-10 Cells

Hypogonadism, associated with low levels of testosterone synthesis, has been implicated in several diseases. Recently, the quest for natural alternatives to prevent and treat hypogonadism has gained increasing research interest. To this end, the present study explored the effect of -allyl cysteine (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-03, Vol.26 (6), p.1697
Main Authors: Rana, Md Masud, Shiozawa, Kota, Mukai, Katsuyuki, Takayanagi, Katsuhiko, Eguchi, Koichi, Sultana, Halima, Ohsaki, Yusuke, Komai, Michio, Shirakawa, Hitoshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cell Line
Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases - metabolism
Cysteine - analogs & derivatives
Cysteine - pharmacology
Enzyme Activation - drug effects
Garlic - chemistry
Leydig Cells - drug effects
Leydig Cells - metabolism
Luteinizing Hormone - blood
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Phosphorylation
protein kinase A
S-allyl cysteine
Testis - cytology
Testis - drug effects
Testis - metabolism
testosterone
Testosterone - biosynthesis
Testosterone - blood
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Summary:Hypogonadism, associated with low levels of testosterone synthesis, has been implicated in several diseases. Recently, the quest for natural alternatives to prevent and treat hypogonadism has gained increasing research interest. To this end, the present study explored the effect of -allyl cysteine (SAC), a characteristic organosulfur compound in aged-garlic extract, on testosterone production. SAC was administered at 50 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally into 7-week-old BALB/c male mice in a single-dose experiment. Plasma levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) and testis levels of proteins involved in steroidogenesis were measured by enzymatic immunoassay and Western blot, respectively. In addition, mouse testis-derived I-10 cells were also used to investigate the effect of SAC on steroidogenesis. In the animal experiment, SAC significantly elevated testosterone levels in both the plasma and the testis without changing the LH level in plasma and increased phosphorylated protein kinase A (p-PKA) levels. Similar results were also observed in I-10 cells. The findings demonstrating the increasing effect of SAC on p-PKA and mRNA levels of suggest that SAC increases the testosterone level by activating the PKA pathway and could be a potential target for hypogonadism therapeutics.
ISSN:1420-3049
1420-3049
DOI:10.3390/molecules26061697