Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address: naguibsalleh@um.edu.my
Phytomedicine, 2018 Oct 01;49:95-105.
PMID: 30217266 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.05.018

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In sex-steroid deficiency, increased in the pH of vaginal fluid is due to low estrogen levels.

HYPOTHESIS: Consumption of Marantodes pumilum leaves helps to ameliorate increased in vaginal fluid pH in sex-steroid deficient condition.

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in vaginal fluid pH and expression of proteins that participate in pH changes i.e vacoular (V)-ATPases and carbonic anhydrases (CA) in the vagina following M. pumilum leaves consumption.

METHODS: Ovariectomized adult female rats were treated orally with M. pumilum leaves extract (MPE) at 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg.b.w and estradiol at 0.2 µg/kg/b.w for 28 days. At the end of the treatment, vaginal fluid pH was measured in anesthetised rats by using micropH probe. Following sacrificed, levels of V-ATPase and CA proteins and mRNAs in the vagina were identified by Western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. Protein distribution was visualized by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS: Administration of MPE causes the pH of vaginal fluid to decrease and expression and distribution of vaginal V-ATPase A & B and CA II, III, IX, XII and XIII to increase.

CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in vaginal fluid pH following MPE treatment suggested that this herb has potential to be used to ameliorate vaginal fluid pH changes in sex-steroid deficient condition.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.