title: Androgenic effect of honeybee drone milk in castrated rats: roles of methyl palmitate and methyl oleate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous honeybee (Apis mellifera) products have been used in traditional medicine to treat infertility and to increase vitality in both men and women. Drone milk (DM) is a relatively little-known honeybee product with a putative sexual hormone effect. The oestrogenic effect of a fraction of DM has recently been reported in rats. However, no information is available on the androgenic effects of DM. The purpose of the present study was to determine the androgen-like effect of DM in male rats and to identify effective compounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified Hershberger assay was used to investigate the androgenic effect of crude DM, and the plasma level of testosterone was measured. The prostatic mRNA and protein expression of Spot14-like androgen-inducible protein (SLAP) were also examined with real-time PCR and Western blot techniques. GC-MS and NMR spectroscopic investigations were performed to identify the active components gained by bioactivity-guided fractionation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The crude DM increased the relative weights of the androgen-dependent organs and the plasma testosterone level in castrated rats and these actions were flutamide-sensitive. DM increased the tissue mRNA and protein level of SLAP, providing further evidence of its androgen-like character. After bioactivity-guided fractionation, two fatty acid esters, methyl palmitate (MP) and methyl oleate (MO), were identified as active compounds. MP alone showed an androgenic effect, whereas MO increased the weight of androgen-sensitive tissues and the plasma testosterone level only in combination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experimental data of DM and its active compounds (MO and MP) show androgenic activity confirming the traditional usage of DM. DM or MP or/and MO treatments may project a natural mode for the therapy of male infertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, H-6701, P.O. Box 121, Hungary. Electronic address: seres.adrienn@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Seres
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, H-6701, P.O. Box 121, Hungary. Electronic address: ducza@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ducza
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Eötvös utca 6, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: bathori@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Báthori
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Eötvös utca 6, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: hunyadi.a@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hunyadi
authors.affiliation: Spectroscopic Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., Gyömrői út 19-21, H-1103 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: z.beni@richter.hu.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Béni
authors.affiliation: Spectroscopic Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., Gyömrői út 19-21, H-1103 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: M.Dekany@richter.hu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dékány
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, H-6701, P.O. Box 121, Hungary. Electronic address: judittoth@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hajagos-Tóth
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, H-6701, P.O. Box 121, Hungary. Electronic address: verlijudit@freemail.hu.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, H-6701, P.O. Box 121, Hungary. Electronic address: gaspar@pharm.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: Róbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gáspár
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010168:Palmitates / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013739:Testosterone / Q000819:agonists / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D009829:Oleic Acids; D010168:Palmitates; C005576:methyl oleate; D013739:Testosterone; C019012:methyl palmitate
keywords: Apitherapy; Drone milk; Rat; SLAP; Testosterone