Gonzales G F, Gasco M, Córdova A, Chung A, Rubio J, Villegas L
Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, and Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencas y Filosofia, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, PO Box 1843, Lima, Peru.
J Endocrinol. 2004 Jan;180(1):87-95. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.1800087.
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a Peruvian hypocotyl that grows exclusively between 4000 and 4500 m in the central Andes. Maca is traditionally employed in the Andean region for its supposed fertility-enhancing properties. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Maca can prevent high altitude-induced testicular disturbances. Adult male rats were exposed for 21 days to an altitude of 4340 m and treated with vehicle or aqueous extract of Maca (666.6 mg/day). The lengths of the stages of the seminiferous epithelium and epididymal sperm counts were obtained at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days of exposure. The stages of the seminiferous tubules were assessed by transillumination. A dose-response study was also performed at sea level to determine the effect of Maca given to male rats at doses of 0, 6.6, 66.6 and 666.6 mg/day for 7 days on body weight, seminiferous tubule stages and epididymal sperm count. The length of stage VIII and the epididymal sperm count were increased in a dose-dependent manner in Maca-treated rats but treatment reduced the length of stage I. At the highest dose, sperm count increased 1.58 times, the length of stage VIII increased 2.4 times and the length of stage I was reduced 0.48 times compared with the value at dose 0. Exposure to high altitude resulted in a reduction in epididymal sperm count after 7 days and lower values were maintained up to 21 days. Altitude reduced spermiation (stage VIII) to half and the onset of spermatogenesis (stages IX-XI) to a quarter on days 7 and 14 but treatment with Maca (666.6 mg/day) prevented these changes. Data on transillumination and epididymal sperm count in the Maca-treated group exposed to high altitude were similar to those obtained at sea level. Maca increased the sperm count on day 21 of exposure to high altitude to values similar (1095.25 +/- 20.41x10(6) sperm, means +/- S.E.M.) to those obtained in the Maca-treated group at sea level (1132.30 +/- 172.95x10(6) sperm). Furthermore, in the Maca-treated group exposed for 21 days to high altitude, epididymal sperm count was higher than in the non-treated group at sea level (690.49 +/- 43.67x10(6) sperm). In conclusion, treatment of rats with Maca at high altitude prevented high altitude-induced spermatogenic disruption.
玛咖（Lepidium meyenii）是一种秘鲁下胚轴植物，仅生长于安第斯山脉中部海拔4000至4500米的区域。传统上，安第斯地区因玛咖具有所谓的增强生育能力的特性而使用它。本研究的目的是检验玛咖可预防高原诱导的睾丸功能紊乱这一假说。成年雄性大鼠暴露于海拔4340米的环境中21天，并给予溶剂或玛咖水提取物（666.6毫克/天）进行处理。在暴露的第0、7、14和21天获取生精上皮各阶段的长度以及附睾精子计数。通过透照评估生精小管的阶段。还在海平面进行了剂量反应研究，以确定给予雄性大鼠0、6.6、66.6和666.6毫克/天剂量的玛咖7天对体重、生精小管阶段和附睾精子计数的影响。玛咖处理组大鼠中，VIII期的长度和附睾精子计数呈剂量依赖性增加，但处理使I期的长度缩短。与剂量0时的值相比，在最高剂量下，精子计数增加了1.58倍，VIII期长度增加了2.4倍，I期长度减少了0.48倍。暴露于高原7天后附睾精子计数减少，并在21天内维持较低水平。在第7天和第14天，高原使精子排出（VIII期）减少至一半，精子发生起始（IX - XI期）减少至四分之一，但用玛咖（666.6毫克/天）处理可预防这些变化。暴露于高原的玛咖处理组透照和附睾精子计数的数据与在海平面获得的数据相似。在暴露于高原的第21天，玛咖使精子计数增加至与玛咖处理组在海平面获得的值相似（1095.25 +/- 20.41x10(6) 个精子，平均值 +/- 标准误）（1132.30 +/- 172.95x10(6) 个精子）。此外，在暴露于高原21天的玛咖处理组中，附睾精子计数高于海平面未处理组（690.49 +/- 43.67x10(6) 个精子）。总之，在高原用玛咖处理大鼠可预防高原诱导的生精破坏。
