Effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) roots on spermatogenesis of male rats.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of oral administration of an aqueous extract from the roots of Lepidium meyenii (maca) on spermatogenesis in adult male rats.


METHODS
Male rats received an aqueous extract of the root (66.7 mg in one mL) twice a day for 14 consecutive days.


RESULTS
Treatment with Lepidium meyenii resulted in an increase in the weights of testis and epididymis but not the seminal vesicle weight. The length and frequency of stages IX-XIV seminiferous tubules, where mitosis occurred, were increased and stages I-VI were reduced in rats treated with Lepidium meyenii.


CONCLUSIONS
The Lepidium meyenii root invigorates spermatogenesis in male rats by acting on its initial stages (IX-XIV).
Gonzales
G F
GF
Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru. iiad@upch.edu.pe
Ruiz
A
A
Gonzales
C
C
Villegas
L
L
Cordova
A
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D029686:Lepidium; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*
D028321:Plant Preparations