Vol. 5, Issue 3, Part B (2017)
Effect of commercial Adaptogen preparations of Withania somnifera, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Echinacea species on fertility of Caenorhabditis elegans
Author(s): Cichello SA, Leury BJ, Jois M and Tegegne SM
Abstract: Physiological stress is one major environmental factor that influences fertility and longevity. Stress management has been shown to improve both fertility and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). C. elegans is commonly used as an in vivo model of human diseases such as stress and used in pharmaceutical research. Adaptogens are plant species that contain phytochemicals that assist the body via the HPA axis and heat shock proteins to manage stress, with species including; Withania (W. somnifera), Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), and Echinacea (E. purpurea, ‎E. angustifolia). Stress reduction, fertility and longevity and thought to be inter-connected. In this study commercial extracts of four adaptogens were exposed to wild-type C. elegans worms (N2) at dosages suggested for human use and adjusted for the live weight of the worms. The worms were grown at 20 oC using ‘C. elegans Habitation and Reproduction media (CeHR) until the worms reproduced (21 days - L4 stage). Treatment with all adaptogens mentioned significantly improved fecundity compared to control by 186%, 164%, 169% and 205% with W. somnifera, E. senticosus, with Echinacea Regular, and Echinacea Premium, respectively. A positive association exists between fertility and longevity, and thus these practitioner adaptogenic formulas display potential for fertility and anti-aging therapies with further research required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these changes in fertility and longevity occur.
How to cite this article:
Cichello SA, Leury BJ, Jois M, Tegegne SM. Effect of commercial Adaptogen preparations of Withania somnifera, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Echinacea species on fertility of Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Herb Med 2017;5(3):110-114.