Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Curculigo orchioides Extract in Boosting Testosterone Levels in Male Rats

Abstract

Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (family Hypoxidaceae, also known as black or kali musli), is an endangered medicinal plant used for diverse medicinal purposes including impotency, aphrodisiac, diuretic, tonic, jaundice, and skin ailments. Phytochemical investigations of rhizomes revealed the presence of a novel phenolic glycoside, curculigoside, triterpenoid, saponins, flavones, cellulose, hemicellulose, and calcium oxalate. We developed a novel extract of Curculigo orchioides (Blamus™, standardized to 30% curculigosides) and assessed its dose‐and time‐dependent efficacy (0, 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight p.o.) on body weight, serum free and total testosterone levels in male rats (200–230 grams; n = 6) over a period of 28 days. Blamus™ didn't cause any marked elevation in serum free testosterone levels at either10 or 25 mg/kg body weight doses, however, a 50 mg/kg body weight dose of Blamus™ induced a significant increase in serum free testosterone level (*p < 0.0001). However, no significant increases were observed in serum total testosterone levels at 0, 10, 25 or 50 mg/kg body weight doses of Blamus™. Extensive testicular histopathological analyses including investigations on the seminiferous tubules, spermatogenesis, sperm cell morphology, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells following treatment with either 0, 10, 25 or 50 mg/kg body weight doses of Blamus™ demonstrated dose‐dependent improvement in structural integrity. Furthermore, no significant changes were observed in serum SGOT, SGPT, BUN and creatinine levels following treatment with any of the given doses, which demonstrated its safety profiles. These data demonstrated that Blamus™ may serve as a safe and novel, natural testosterone booster and provide broad spectrum application is sports nutrition, muscle building and exercise pathophysiology.Support or Funding InformationThis Project was Funded by Cepham Inc., Piscataway, NJThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.