Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları

  • MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ2
    Effects of fenugreek and shatavari on vasomotor and hormonal balance in ovariectomized rats

    Erten, Füsun; Er, Beşir; Orhan, Cemal; Morde, Abhijeet A.; Padigaru, Muralidhara; Şahin, Kazim

    Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek, TFG) and Asparagus racemosus Willd. (shatavari, AR) have been extensively used in Ayurvedic, Unani, and traditional folk medicine to support women’s health. TFG seeds are traditionally employed as galactagogues and hormonal modulators, while AR roots are valued as rejuvenating tonics with phytoestrogenic activity, prescribed for menopausal complaints and reproductive well-being. Both plants also exhibit antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects, suggesting their potential as safe, nonhormonal alternatives to conventional hormone replacement therapy. This study investigated the dose-dependent effects of TFG and AR, administered individually or in combination, on vasomotor symptoms, hormonal balance, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine markers in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of menopause. Adult female rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy and were randomized into eight groups: Control, OVX, OVX+TFG (30 and 60 mg/kg), OVX+AR (30 and 60 mg/kg), and OVX+TFG/AR combinations. Treatments were administered orally for 8 days. Tail, core, and skin temperatures were recorded to assess thermoregulation, while blood and tissue samples were analyzed for hormone levels, oxidative stress, and molecular markers. OVX rats showed classical menopausal alterations, including increased follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, cortisol, and malondialdehyde, and decreased 17β-estradiol, progesterone, dopamine, and antioxidant enzymes, along with dysregulated neuroendocrine markers. All treatments partially reversed these changes, while the high-dose combination (TFG/AR 60 mg/kg each) demonstrated the most pronounced effects, normalizing hormone levels, reducing hot-flash-like temperature fluctuations, restoring antioxidant activity, downregulating neuroendocrine markers (c-FOS, GnRH, Kisspeptin, NKB, and TRPV1) expression, and elevating brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels (p < 0.05). High-dose combined supplementation of TFG and AR effectively alleviates vasomotor disturbances, restores hormonal and oxidative balance, and modulates neuroendocrine pathways in OVX rats. These findings validate their traditional use and highlight their potential as safe phytoestrogen-based, nonhormonal alternatives for the management of menopausal symptoms, warranting further clinical evaluation.

    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
  • MakaleAçık Erişim2025Scopus SJRQ1
    Effects of Integrated Extracts of Trigonella foenum-graecum and Asparagus racemosus on Hot Flash-like Symptoms in Ovariectomized Rats

    Erten, Fusun; Er, Besir; Ozmen, Ramazan; Tokmak, Muhammed; Gokdere, Ebru; Orhan, Cemal; Morde, Abhijeet A.; Padigaru, Muralidhara; Sahin, Kazim

    Vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes (HFs), commonly affect women during menopause, leading to a reduced quality of life. The current study evaluates the combined effect of active components Asparagus racemosus (AR) and Trigonella foenum-graecum (TFG) in a single oral formulation (IAT) for alleviating menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized rats. Following bilateral ovariectomy, the animals were randomly assigned to nine groups: (1) Control, (2) Ovariectomy (OVX), (3) OVX+TA1 (TA: Combination of Trigonella and Asparagus; TFG 30 mg/kg + AR 30 mg/kg), (4) OVX+TA2 (TFG 30 mg/kg + AR 15 mg/kg), (5) OVX+TA3 (TFG 15 mg/kg + AR 30 mg/kg), (6) OVX+TA4 (TFG 40 mg/kg + AR 30 mg/kg), (7) OVX+TA5 (TFG 30 mg/kg + AR 40 mg/kg), (8) OVX+IAT1 (IAT: Integrated Asparagus and Trigonella; TFG+AR integrated extract, 30 mg/kg), and (9) OVX+IAT2 (TFG+AR integrated extract, 60 mg/kg). On the 8th day of treatment, tail and skin temperatures were recorded every 30 min for 24 h. Ovariectomized rats exhibited menopausal symptoms, such as hormonal imbalances and elevated skin temperature. Administration of AR, TFG, and IAT significantly decreased serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and cortisol while increasing estradiol, progesterone, and dopamine (p < 0.0001), effectively alleviating hot flash-like symptoms. Additionally, they mitigated ovariectomy-induced oxidative stress by lowering malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and restoring antioxidant enzyme activity. Ovariectomized rats exhibited increased expression of a proto-oncogene (c-FOS), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), Kisspeptin, Neurokinin B (NKB), and Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), along with reduced expressing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, which were reversed by treatment, especially with the IAT2 combination. The AR and TFG combination, particularly in IAT formulations, showed strong potential in alleviating menopausal symptoms in ovariectomized rats. These findings suggest that the combination of AR and TFG extracts could be a natural alternative for managing postmenopausal symptoms by restoring reproductive hormone levels, regulating lipid profiles, and enhancing antioxidant defense systems.

    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
    AtıfScopus8WoS8OpenAlex6
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMedİncele
  • MakaleAçık Erişim2021Scopus SJRQ1
    Next‐generation ultrasol curcumin boosts muscle endurance and reduces muscle damage in treadmill‐exhausted rats

    Sahin, Emre; Orhan, Cemal; Erten, Fusun; Er, Besir; Acharya, Manutosh; Morde, Abhijeet A.; Padigaru, Muralidhara; Sahin, Kazim

    Curcumin positively affects performance during exercise and subsequent recovery. However, curcumin has limited bioavailability unless consumed in larger doses. In the current study, we examined the impact of a new formulation of curcumin, Next‐Generation Ultrasol Curcumin (NGUC), which is relatively more bioavailable than natural curcumin on exhaustion time, grip strength, muscle damage parameters, and serum and muscle proteins. A total of 28 rats were randomly grouped as control (C, non‐supplemented), exercise (E, non‐supplemented), E+NGUC100 (supplemented with 100 mg/kg BW NGUC), and E+NGUC200 (supplemented with 200 mg/kg NGUC). Grip strength and exhaustion time were increased with NGUC supplementation (p < 0.0001). Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactic acid (LA), myoglobin, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were reduced in serum, and muscle tissue in NGUC supplemented groups (p < 0.05). In contrast, NGUC supplementation elevated the antioxidant enzyme levels compared to the non‐supplemented exercise group (p < 0.01). Additionally, inflammatory cytokines were inhibited with NGUC administration (p < 0.05). NGUC decreased PGC‐1α, p‐4E‐BP1, p‐mTOR, MAFbx, and MuRF1 proteins in muscle tissue (p < 0.05). These results indicate that NGUC boosts exercise performance while reducing muscle damage by targeting antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and muscle mass regulatory pathways.

    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
    AtıfScopus9WoS9OpenAlex9
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMedİncele