Biomedical Science Letters (대한의생명과학회지)

The Korean Society for Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (대한의생명과학회)
권호 표지

The Effect of Pomegranate Extracts on the Menopausal Syndromes

  • Kim, Hyun-Chul (Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University) ;
  • Kum, Eun-Joo (Hanilyanghang Co. Ltd.) ;
  • Kwon, Do-Hyoung (Hanilyanghang Co. Ltd.) ;
  • Lee, Hye-Young (Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University)
  • ;
  • ;
  • ;
  • 이혜영 (연세대학교 보건과학대학)
  • Published : 2009.09.30
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Abstract

The present study was set to evaluate the effect of pomegranate extracts on improvement of the menopausal syndromes such as face flushing in ovariectomized rats by carrying out short- and long-term experiments. Pomegranate extracts used to feed rats were prepared from the pulp part which does not contain the rid of the pomegranate, and were dissolved in propylene glycol. From the short-term (16 days) experiment, it was clear that when the 25, 250, 1,250 mg/kg/day concentrations of pomegranate extracts were orally fed to ovariectomized rats, the body temperature of the rats in all the 3 groups were decreased with statistical significance compared to other control groups which were fed with propylene glycol only. Especially, the body temperature decreased by $2.7^{\circ}C$ compared to control groups even when the pomegranate extracts were fed at the low concentration of 25 mg/kg/day implying the usefulness of pomegranate extracts in improving face flushing troubles. In addition, the body weight of the groups fed with pomegranate extracts also decreased when compared to groups fed with only propylene glycol, and the results were also statistically significant. In case of the estradiol level in the blood of rats, the levels were somewhat higher in the groups fed with pomegranate extracts than the control groups, even though the difference was not statistically significant. As found from the results of the short-term experiment, in long-term experiment, the groups fed with pomegranate extracts showed statistically significant decrease in the body temperature and the body weight, whereas the increase of the estradiol levels in blood in each groups were statistically insignificant. During the short- and long-term experiments, no sign of toxicity was found in rats fed with pomegranate extracts indicating no toxic side effects of the pomegranate extracts when orally fed. The concentrations of pomegranate extracts 25, 250, 1250 mg/kg/day treated to ovariectomized rats in this study can be estimated to be 1.5, 15, and 75 g/day when treated to women whose body weight is 60 kg which is average for women with menopausal syndromes. Since even the 75 g/day of high concentration of pomegranate extracts did not show any toxicity in short- and long-term experiments, taking 1.5 g/day concentration of pomegranate extracts would be safe dose for not causing any side effects. Therefore, it can be concluded from the results of this study that taking 1.5 g/day of pomegranate extracts for certain period time will improve the menopausal syndromes including face flushing.

Keywords

References

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