Abstract
BackgroundCimicifuga racemosa is one of the herbs used for the treatment of climacteric syndrome, and it has been cited as an alternative therapy to estrogen. Apart from hectic fevers, dyspareunia and so on, dry mouth also increase significantly after menopause. It has not yet been reported whether C. racemosa has any impact on the sublingual gland, which may relate to dry mouth. In an attempt to determine this, we have compared the effects of estrogen and C. racemosa on the sublingual gland of ovariectomized rats.ResultsHE staining showed that the acinar cell area had contracted and that the intercellular spaces were broadened in the OVX (ovariectomized rats) group, while treatment with estradiol (E2) and iCR (isopropanolic extract of C. racemosa) improved these lesions. Transmission electron microscopy showed that rough endoplasmic reticulum expansion in mucous and serous acinar epithelial cells and apoptotic cells was more commonly seen in the OVX group than in the SHAM (sham-operated rats) group. Mitochondria and plasma membrane infolding lesions in the striated ducts were also observed. These lesions were alleviated by both treatments. It is of note that, in the OVX + iCR group, the volume of mitochondria in the striated duct was larger than in other groups. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the ratio of caspase-3 positive cells was significantly increased in the acinar cells of the OVX group compared with the SHAM group (p < 0.05); and the MA (mean absorbance) of caspase-3 in the striated ducts also increased (p < 0.05). Estradiol decreased the ratio of caspase-3 positive cells and the MA of caspase-3 in striated ducts significantly (p < 0.05). ICR also reduced the ratio of caspase-3 positive cells and the MA in the striated ducts (p < 0.05), but the reduction of the MA in striated ducts was inferior to that of the OVX + E2 group (p < 0.05).ConclusionBoth estradiol and iCR can inhibit subcellular structural damage, and down-regulate the expression of caspase-3 caused by ovariectomy, but their effects were not identical, suggesting that both drugs confer a protective effect on the sublingual gland of ovariectomized rats, but that the specific location and mechanism of action producing these effects were different.
Highlights
Cimicifuga racemosa is one of the herbs used for the treatment of climacteric syndrome, and it has been cited as an alternative therapy to estrogen
hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining Under the microscope, the sublingual gland was mainly composed by acini and striated ducts of the four groups, and the acini cell including the mucous and serous salivary epithelial cells
The percentage of the gap area was higher in the OVX group than in the SHAM group (p < 0.05), whereas it was lower in the OVX + E2 group and OVX + iCR group compared to the OVX group (p < 0.05)
Summary
Cimicifuga racemosa is one of the herbs used for the treatment of climacteric syndrome, and it has been cited as an alternative therapy to estrogen. Apart from hectic fevers, dyspareunia and so on, dry mouth increase significantly after menopause It has not yet been reported whether C. racemosa has any impact on the sublingual gland, which may relate to dry mouth. Black cohosh can be used as an alternative medicine to estrogen for treating menopausal osteoporosis, without causing adverse effects on the breast and uterus [10]. It has been reported that isoimperatorin, Cimicifuga glycoside E and 23-O-acetylshengmanol-3-xyloside extracts from black cohosh inhibited tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-mediated vascular cell adhesion protein-1 (VCAM-1) expression in human epithelial cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), extracellular regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase C (PKC) signaling molecules [12]
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