Abstract

Cordyceps militaris (CM) is a popular medicinal fungus; however, few studies have focused on its impact on the male reproductive system. We evaluated the effects of CM fermentation products on the reproductive development of juvenile male (JM) mice. Mice were divided into four experimental groups, each fed 5% CM products (weight per weight (w/w) in normal diet): extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), fermentation broth (FB), mycelia (MY), and whole fermentation products (FB plus MY, FBMY) for 28 days, while mice in the control group (CT) were fed a normal diet. Basic body parameters, testicular structure, sperm parameters, and sex hormones concentrations were analyzed. Compared to the CT group, mice in the EPS, MY, and FBMY groups showed a significantly increased mean seminiferous tubule area (p < 0.05), mice in the FB and MY groups had significantly higher sperm concentrations (p < 0.05), and mice in the EPS, FB, and FBMY groups showed significantly increased ratios of motile sperm (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, EPS significantly promoted the ability of JM mice to synthesize testosterone (p < 0.05). Furthermore, all CM products significantly increased the food intake of JM mice (p < 0.05) but did not significantly change their water intake and body weight gain (p > 0.05). In conclusion, CM products, especially EPS, exhibit strong androgen-like activities that can promote male reproductive development.

Details

Title
Effects of Cordyceps militaris fermentation products on reproductive development in juvenile male mice
Author
Lin, Shan 1 ; Hsu, Wen-Kuang 2 ; Tsai, Ming-Shiun 2 ; Hsu, Tai-Hao 2 ; Lin, Tso-Ching 3 ; Su, Hong-Lin 4 ; Wang, Sue-Hong 5 ; Jin, Dazhi 6 

 Hangzhou Medical College, School of Laboratory Medicine and Bioengineering, Hangzhou, China (GRID:grid.506977.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 1757 7957); Key Laboratory of Biomarkers and In Vitro Diagnosis Translation of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China (GRID:grid.506977.a); Da-Yeh University, Department of Medicinal Botanicals and Foods on Health Applications, Changhua, Taiwan (GRID:grid.445025.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0532 2244) 
 Da-Yeh University, Department of Medicinal Botanicals and Foods on Health Applications, Changhua, Taiwan (GRID:grid.445025.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0532 2244) 
 Da-Yeh University, Department of Sport and Health Management, Changhua, Taiwan (GRID:grid.445025.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0532 2244) 
 National Chung Hsing University, Department of Life Sciences, Taichung, Taiwan (GRID:grid.260542.7) (ISNI:0000 0004 0532 3749) 
 Chung Shan Medical University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Taichung, Taiwan (GRID:grid.411641.7) (ISNI:0000 0004 0532 2041); Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Department of Medical Research, Taichung, Taiwan (GRID:grid.411645.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0638 9256) 
 Hangzhou Medical College, School of Laboratory Medicine and Bioengineering, Hangzhou, China (GRID:grid.506977.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 1757 7957); Key Laboratory of Biomarkers and In Vitro Diagnosis Translation of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China (GRID:grid.506977.a) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2701359022
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.