A diet enriched with Pistacia atlantica fruits improves the female rats' reproductive system

• Published in: Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 335 - 342
• Main Authors: Dogani, Manijeh, Askari, Nayere, Hesari, Ali Kalantari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 國立臺灣大學食品與生物分子研究中心 01.05.2024; Elsevier B.V; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ovary; Oxytocin; Oxytocin receptor; Pistacia atlantica; Sex hormones; Uterus; Sex hormones; Ovary; Pistacia atlantica; Uterus; Oxytocin; Oxytocin receptor
• ISSN: 2225-4110; 2225-4110
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.09.004

Background and aim: Baneh (Pistacia atlantica) is a plant species that is commonly consumed as food and has a long-standing traditional use as a sexual enhancer. Despite its widespread use, a limited amount of academic and scientific literature is available regarding its potential impact on the reproductive system. The present research aimed to study the effect of a diet enriched with Baneh on the female rats' reproductive system. Experimental procedure: Three groups of rats (n = 8) were subjected to the intended diet for six weeks. Subsequently, their histomorphometric parameters, sex hormone levels, as well as the expression of oxytocin (OXT) and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genes were measured. The rats' serum vitamin D, zinc, and lipid profiles were also evaluated. Results and conclusion: Results revealed that compared to the normal food, the diet containing 20 % Baneh significantly increased the progesterone and estradiol levels three and two times, respectively. It decreased the total body weight while increasing the ratio of ovary weight to the body weight. Furthermore, the Baneh-enriched diet raised HDL, zinc, and vitamin D levels, though it reduced the LDL and TG levels by 15 μg/dl and 24 μg/dl, respectively, and the concentration of ovary malondialdehyde decreased by 50 % in the treated group. Also, the diet increased the follicle graph, corpus luteum, the thickness of the epithelium, the number of endometrial glands, and the expression of both OXT and OXTR genes. Our findings suggested that P. atlantica could considerably improve the female sex hormone levels and their reproductive system.