Effect of tribulus terrestris extract on cardiac histomorphology and testicular physiology of rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i10.18634Keywords:
Testosterone; Heart; Weight gain; Testis.Abstract
Tribulus terrestris (TT) is a plant native to India, known as Abrolo or “Puncture Vine”. There are many uncertainties related to the effects of TT on the athlete's physical power, testosterone levels and as an aphrodisiac. There are few reports on the effect of TT on the cardiovascular system, however they mention that there may be a negative correlation between TT and the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. In this study we evaluated the effect of TT without weight gain on serum testosterone concentration and cardiac morphometry in rats. Three rats were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups (n = 15): Group CT, treated with 0.9% saline solution; TT group, treated with Tribulus terrestris extract. After 60 days of treatment, animals that received TT gained less body weight and did not dissipate serum testosterone levels and cardiac morphometry when compared to rats in the CT group. Our results obtained that TT prevented weight gain without altering the energy balance of the diet, without altering testosterone secretion and without altering cardiac morphometry. Therefore, TT may have a promising future in preserving body weight, making preventing weight gain easier to achieve than losing weight and maintaining that loss.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Leonardo Luca Luciano; Evelise Aline Soares; Samuel José Fernandes de Lima; Rayzza Tomaz Griebeler ; Raissa Forgerini ; Michelli Pereira ; Ester Caixeta; Vitória Lima Boaventura; Diego Furtado da Cunha; Gérsika Bitencourt Santos Barros; José Antonio Dias Garcia
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