Anti-androgenic effect of Symplocos racemosa Roxb. against letrozole induced polycystic ovary using rat model

Objective: To investigate the anti-androgenic properties of Symplocos racemosa Roxb. (S. racemosa) in the treatment of hyperandrogenemia associated polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in a letrozole induced PCOS rat model. Methods: The testosterone levels were used to evaluate the anti-androgenic effect of S. racemosa in letrozole induced PCOS rats for 21 d. The low (250 mg/kg), mid (500 mg/kg) and high dose (1 000 mg/kg) of S. racemosa was given to the PCOS induced rats for 15 d post letrozole induction to determine the effective dose of S. racemosa in the treatment of hyperandrogenemia associated PCOS. The hormones such as estrogen and progesterone were also assayed along with testosterone to determine the fluctuations in sex steroid levels in PCOS rats induced by letrozole. Results: S. racemosa treatment significantly decreased testosterone levels which were found to be elevated in PCOS rats induced by letrozole. S. racemosa significantly restored other blood biochemical parameters such as estrogen, progesterone and cholesterol levels. It also restored the histology of ovarian tissue. The ovarian weights and uterine weights were also significantly recovered after the S. racemosa treatment. Conclusions: The mid dose (500 mg/kg) and high dose (1 000 mg/kg) of S. racemosa were found to be effective in the treatment of hyperandrogenemia in PCOS. This effect of S. racemosa was found to be comparable with clomiphene citrate. Clomiphene citrate which was being used as the major medicine in the treatment of PCOS could now be replaced with S. racemosa in the management of PCOS.