Mwenda Jason M, Owuor Roselida A, Kyama Cleophas M, Wango Emmanuel O, M'Arimi Milton, Langat Daudi K
Institute of Primate Research, P.O. Box 24481, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Feb 20;103(3):379-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.016. Epub 2005 Sep 29.
The potential effect of Khat (Catha edulis, Celastraceae) on fertility in humans has not been elucidated. In this study, we used the olive baboon (Papio anubis, Cercopithecidae) to determine the effects of oral administration of khat on circulating hormones. In order to establish baseline hormonal levels, five male baboons were bled once a week for 1 month. The same baboons were then fed with crude khat juice extract once a week over a period of 2 months, and the effects on serum levels of cortisol, testosterone and prolactin determined using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA). Subsequently, sampling was repeated for a further 1 month to determine the residual effect of khat. The results showed that khat administration causes a significant increase in the mean levels of testosterone while prolactin and cortisol levels were reduced. These effects were also evident 1 month post treatment and indicate khat may exert a transient effect on male fertility by interfering with the hormonal profiles.
巧茶（Catha edulis，卫矛科）对人类生育能力的潜在影响尚未阐明。在本研究中，我们使用东非狒狒（Papio anubis，猕猴科）来确定口服巧茶对循环激素的影响。为了建立激素基线水平，5只雄性狒狒连续1个月每周采血一次。然后，在2个月的时间里，给同一只狒狒每周喂食一次粗制巧茶汁提取物，并使用酶免疫测定法（EIA）和放射免疫测定法（RIA）测定对皮质醇、睾酮和催乳素血清水平的影响。随后，再重复采样1个月，以确定巧茶的残留效应。结果表明，服用巧茶会导致睾酮平均水平显著升高，而催乳素和皮质醇水平降低。这些影响在治疗后1个月也很明显，表明巧茶可能通过干扰激素水平对男性生育能力产生短暂影响。
