title: Eriosema laurentii De Wild (Leguminosae) methanol extract has estrogenic properties and prevents menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized Wistar rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Eriosema laurentii De Wild (Leguminosae) is a medicinal plant used in West and Central Africa for different diseases. In Cameroon, this plant is used as a treatment for infertility, and various gynecological and menopausal complaints. However, despite this use as a natural remedy, the biological activity of Eriosema laurentii has not been studied until now.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In order to determine the potential use of this plant in gynecological conditions/disorders, we evaluated the estrogenic properties of a methanol extract of its aerial parts and its ability to prevent different menopausal health problems induced by bilateral oophorectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two approaches were used. In vitro, recombinant yeast systems were applied, featuring either the respective human receptors (ERα, AR, and PR) or into chromosome III integrated human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the respective reporter plasmid. In vivo, the investigation was carried out using the 3 days uterotrophic assay and 9 weeks oral treatment in ovariectomized rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Eriosema laurentii transactivated the estrogen receptor-α and displayed AhR agonistic activity but was neither androgenic nor progesteronic. In rats, the extract did not induce endometrium proliferation either in the 3-day or the 9-week treatment regimens, but induced vaginal stratification and cornification, prevented loss of femur bone mass, increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and reduced total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), TC/HDL-C ratio, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Eriosema laurentii does not seem to have an undesirable influence on the endometrium but might prevent vaginal dryness and bone mass loss and improve the lipid profile.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon; Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Sylvin Benjamin
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ateba
authors.forename: Dieudonné
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Njamen
authors.forename: Svjetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Medjakovic
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hobiger
authors.forename: Jean Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mbanya
authors.forename: Alois
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jungbauer
authors.forename: Liselotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krenn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D007887:Fabaceae; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010052:Ovariectomy; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000378:metabolism; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D014621:Vagina / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005419:Flavonoids; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D012997:Solvents; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D000432:Methanol
keywords: 17β-estradiol; AEL; AIP; AR; AhR; Aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonistic activity; Atherogenic index; CE; CHD; CVD; E2; E2B; E2V; ERα; Eriosema laurentii De Wild; Estrogenic activity; HDL-C; HPLC-DAD; LDL-C; ONPG; OVX; Osteoporosis; PR; Rt; Sham; TC; TG; UEH; UWW; VEH; VLDL; androgen receptor; aryl hydrocarbon receptor; atherogenic index of plasma; b-NF; bilaterally ovariectomized rats; cardiovascular disease; cholesteryl ester; coronary heart disease; estradiol benzoate; estradiol valerate; estrogen receptor alpha; high density lipoprotein cholesterol; high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; methanol extract of the aerial parts of Eriosema laurentii De Wild; o-nitrophenyl-β-galactopyranoside; progesterone receptor; retention time; sham operated animals; total cholesterol; triglycerides; uterine epithelial height; uterine wet weight; vaginal epithelial height; very low density lipoprotein.; β-naphthoflavone