Prostate disorders are age-related issues that are known to be influenced by sex hormones, diet, and lifestyle and stress. With increasing dissatisfaction with orthodox treatment methods, host of alternative therapies including medicinal plants are currently being employed. The present study investigated the effect of oral administration of aqueous extract of Momordica charantia leaf tea on prostate gland health. Rats were grouped into three age groups (young, adult, and old), each with control fed normal rat pellets and water only, and treated groups received 140 mg/kg body weight of M. charantia leaf extract daily for 40 days via the oral route. The animals were sacrificed on the last day and blood samples collected were analyzed for testosterone, prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone level, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, lipid peroxidation and weights of prostate glands were also recorded. The extract produced no significant increase in body weight of the rats, increased testosterone in all the age groups, decreased prolactin concentration in the young and old age-groups while dehydroepiandrosterone level of the young age-rats significantly increased, those of the old-age rats decreased significantly. The extract significantly increased catalase and superoxide dismutase activities of rats and significantly decreased lipid peroxidase activity of the rats in the three age groups. The marginal positive effects on total body and prostate gland health recorded in this study suggest the usage and intake of M. charantia tea as a preventive measure against prostate disorders for a long period.
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Page Range
300-311
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