Breakthrough in reproductive protection of Cistanche deserticola

Zhang Xiaoying, Professor of northwest agricultural and Forestry University of science and technology, spent six years to study the reproductive protection of Cistanche deserticola In the early stage, the research team took bisphenol A, an environmental endocrine disruptor widely existing in the human environment (often used as a plasticizer and widely used in plastic products, with male reproductive development toxicity), as an inducer of male reproductive damage, simulated the pathological and toxic effects of bisphenol A on the body, established a pharmacological model of reproductive damage, and proved meat on the basis of physiological and pathological models Cistanche deserticola alcohol extract can significantly improve sperm motility, sperm quantity, sperm activity and reduce sperm deformity rate; improve the expression of testosterone producing enzyme, and then promote the secretion of testosterone (T), luteinizing hormone (LH), and improve the androgen level; effectively inhibit the oxidative stress induced by BPA, and alleviate the male reproductive damage caused by BPA The research team then confirmed that Echinacea is the main active substance of Cistanche deserticola, which can effectively restore the number of sperm, sperm vitality, improve the level of luteinizing hormone and testosterone, and alleviate sperm damage Later studies revealed that bisphenol a mainly damages the balance of positive and negative feedback regulation of hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, the expression of genes related to regulatory hormones, and directly damages testicular cells and sperm quality Echinacea glycoside can be distributed into the brain, and its target is male receptor (AR) for the first time The results showed that the binding sites of pineoside were met-894 and val-713 The research was recently published in the scientific report Through inhibiting the transcription of male receptor into the nuclear promoter gene, Echinacea can inhibit the negative feedback regulatory pathway of hormone; at the same time, Echinacea can stimulate the expression of key enzymes of androgen synthesis, promote the positive feedback regulation of hormone, and finally promote the secretion of androgen, accompanied by the increase of major steroid producing enzymes, including steroids synthesis protein (star), steroids Sterol metabolizing enzymes such as CYP11A1, CYP17A1, 3 β - hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (hsd3β) and 17 β - hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (hsd17 β) indicate that Echinacea enhances testosterone biosynthesis, thus increasing the number of sperm and preventing oligospermia in rats Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that Echinacea could enter the hypothalamus through the blood-brain barrier, but could not or only slightly enter the testis through the blood testis barrier, which may be due to the complexity of the blood testis barrier, or the blood-brain barrier contains more cells with small molecules Echinacea can increase the synthesis and secretion of LH and T, and then promote the number of sperm Cistanche deserticola, as a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has long been considered to have many effects, such as nourishing liver and kidney, benefiting blood essence and so on This series of studies provide theoretical basis for the modern cognitive and functional development of Cistanche deserticola, and create new methods for the treatment of male reproductive disorders In recent years, the artificial planting technology of Cistanche deserticola has made continuous breakthroughs, and the planting area and production of Cistanche deserticola have been expanding, which also laid a material foundation for the utilization of Cistanche deserticola in a wide range of medical fields.