Chemical Analysis of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) and Its Effects on Redox Status and on Reproductive Biology in Stallions

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the chemical composition of Yellow Maca (Lepidium meyenii) and its biological activity on stallions following oral administration of hypocotyl powder. Maca was subjected to methanolic extraction and the chemical analysis was carried out by LC-MS-QTOF (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry). Our results showed that Maca contains some effective antioxidants, a high percentage of glucosinolates, and other important components with a high antioxidant capacity. To evaluate the plant biological activity in stallions fed with Maca powder for 60 days, the redox status and some reproductive parameters were investigated. Blood and semen samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 days from the beginning of this study. Blood samples showed a decrease of the reactive oxygen metabolites, evaluated by d-ROMs test, and an increase of the antioxidant barrier in terms of biological antioxidant potential (BAP test), powerful oxidant capacity (OXY-Adsorbent test), and thiols evaluation (-SHp test). Furthermore, semen samples showed a positive trend during Maca administration in the following parameters: ejaculate volumes and sperm concentrations, total and progressive motility, and acrosome integrity.

An Environmentally Friendly Practice Used in Olive Cultivation Capable of Increasing Commercial Interest in Waste Products from Oil Processing

“…Olive pomace and olive vegetation water are sources of phenols. The industry requires phenolic compounds to produce functional foods, supplements, food additives, and the formulation of cosmetics and drugs [5,33,34]. Trichoderma species promote the production of phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds [23,26], whose production varies according to the strain used [35].…”

Exogenous Factors Affecting the Functional Integrity of Male Reproduction

“…The exposure to oxidative stress may result in adaptation (increased activity of defense mechanisms), damage to macromolecules (DNA fragmentation, protein modifications, lipid peroxidation) [ 172 , 173 ], or cell death (apoptosis, or even necrosis with a wider impact on surrounding cells and tissue) [ 174 ]. The effect of OS may be also mitigated by antioxidants by oral administration [ 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 ] or direct supplementation of reproduction-associated cells [ 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 ].…”

Aplicações Terapêuticas Da Lepidium Meyenii (Maca) E Seus Compostos Químicos: Uma Revisão Sistemática / Therapeutic Applications of Lepidium Meyenii (Maca) and Its Chemical Compounds: A Systematic Review

“…Vinte-oito (65,12%) dos 43 estudos selecionados foram realizados no continente asiático nos países, China, Japão, Paquistão e Coréia a Do Sul; onze (25,58%) foram realizados no continente americano distribuído entre América Do Norte, Central E Sul nos países Estados Unidos, Peru, México e Argentina; apenas dois (4,65%) dos estudos foram realizados no Continente Europeu no País da Itália; e outros dois (4,65%) não foi possível localizar o continente ou país da realização do estudo. Ao sintetizar os achados do quadro 1, observou-se que vários autores apontaram diversos compostos químicos como responsáveis pela atividade antioxidante da planta, Tafuri et al (2019) apontaram os glucosinolatos e as macamidas; Lee e Chang (2019) as saponinas, fenóis e esteroides, alguns polissacarídeos também apresentaram esta atividade; Zha et al (2014) citaram estrutura monossacarídica composta de ramnose, arabinose, glicose e galactose; Shufang et al 2017apresentaram mesma estrutura monossarídica de Zha et al (2014) com adição da mannose; já no estudo de Wang et al (2018) foi o arabinogalactano, que além de sua atividade antioxidante, apresentou efeito protetor em células lesionadas com H2O2; para Sun et al (2018) os ácidos graxos (ácido linoleico, ácido linolênico e ácido 15-tetracosênico) e os monossacarídeos (anidromonossacarídeos e furancarboxaldeídos) que atuaram como antioxidante. Caicai et al (2018) comprovaram que a atividade antioxidante dos polissacarídeos aumentou significativamente conforme a concentração crescente, após serem testados em radicais OH, superóxido e DPPH, tendo como comparativos a vitamina C e o conservante BHT.…”