Abstract
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 S-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 Cyp11a suggest that SAC increases the testosterone level by activating the PKA pathway and could be a potential target for hypogonadism therapeutics.
Highlights
Testosterone is predominantly produced in Leydig cells of the testes [1]
The ratio of phosphorylated protein kinase A (p-protein kinase A (PKA)) to total PKA was significantly high in the S-allyl cysteine (SAC)-treated group. These results suggest that SAC might enhance testosterone production by activating PKA
We found that SAC elevates testosterone levels in both the testes and plasma of BALB/c mice after a single intraperitoneal administration
Summary
Testosterone is predominantly produced in Leydig cells of the testes [1]. Its synthesis depends on the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, which requires gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. Its applicability has raised some controversy, as a few cases of cardiovascular events have been reported, followed by TRT [8,9], warranting the search for alternative resources, such as nutritional supplements or natural compounds in diets that have the potential to boost testosterone levels. In this direction, several natural compounds that have the potential to enhance testosterone production either in vitro or in vivo have been explored [10,11,12,13,14]. Ginger, onion, and honey have been demonstrated to have a testosterone-elevating effect in animal-based studies [15,16,17]
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