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This study was designed to investigate the potential reproductive health benefits of Raphanus sativus L. (radish) sprout ethanolic extract (RSE) in a bisphenol A (BPA)-exposed rat model of testicular disorders and to identify the bioactive components of RSE. RSE and its butanolic layer (RSE-BuOH) exhibited the strongest total antioxidant capacity, as determined using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity method. The RSE-BuOH was fractionated using chromatography with active guided fractionation, and 10 major compounds were identified in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Among them, 3-hexyl-1-cyclopentene and 2-cyclopentene-1-tridecanoic acid were confirmed to be the major components. In addition, administration of RSE significantly restored body weight, testes weight and sperm cell rate in BPA-exposed rats. In particular, administration of RSE-BuOH to BPA-exposed rats significantly increased sperm cell rate and serum testosterone level. These results suggest that RSE may attenuate reproductive dysfunction caused by BPA-induced oxidative stress in male rats. Practical Applications Oral exposure of bisphenol A (BPA) is known to alter endocrine functions and weaken reproduction by decreasing semen quality in humans. Oxidative stress induced by BPA affects semen quality and damages sperm DNA. This is the first study to evaluate the beneficial effects of radish sprout (RS) on male reproductive dysfunction in BPA-exposed rats. The study enhances the understanding of the mechanisms by which the antioxidants in RS ethanolic extracts protect sperm against oxidative stress, and provides a basis for the development of food supplements from RS, a widely consumed food ingredient with few side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative chronic disease that affects various tissues surrounding the joints, such as the subchondral bone and articular cartilage. The onset of OA is associated with uncontrolled catabolic and anabolic remodeling processes of the joints, including the cartilage and subchondral bone, to adapt to local biological and biochemical signals. In this study, we determined whether 70% ethanolic (EtOH) extract of Litsea japonica fruit (LJFE) had beneficial effects on the articular cartilage, including structural changes in the tibial subchondral bone, matrix degradation, and inflammatory responses, in OA by using a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate-induced OA. Our results showed that administration of LJFE increased the bone volume and cross-section thickness, but the mean number of objects per slice in this group was lower than that in the OA control (OAC) group. In addition, the LJFE decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Compared to the OAC group, the group treated with high doses of LJFE (100 and 200 mg/kg) showed a more than 80% inhibition of the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Our results suggest that LJFE can be used as a potential anti-osteoarthritic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anemarrhena asphodeloides is known to suppress inflammation and lower various fevers. To determine the active component of A. asphodeloides , ethanol (EtOH) extract of A. asphodeloides rhizomes was fractionized. The compounds isolated from the dichloromethane (CH 2 Cl 2 ) soluble fraction were identified as 4′-O-methylnyasol ( 1 ), nyasol ( 2 ), 3″-methoxynyasol ( 3 ), 3″-hydroxy-4″-methoxy-4″-dehydroxynyasol ( 4 ), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde ( 5 ), and 4-hydroxyacetophenone ( 6 ). The four norlignans ( 1 – 4 ) potently inhibited the release of β-hexosaminidase from immunoglobulin E (IgE)/dinitrophenol-conjugated bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA)-treated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-2H3 and A23187 plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate co-treated isolated rat primary mast cells, as markers of degranulation and histamine release. The intraperitoneal treatment with the EtOH extract significantly suppressed the fetal reaction, and serum histamine release induced by compound 48/80 in mice. These results suggest that the four active norlignan compounds and the EtOH extract of A. asphodeloides may have potential to be developed as medicines for the treatment of allergies by inhibiting the activation of mast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]