African eggplant compounds show promise against uterine fibroids in rats
Ogunlakin AD, Anejukwo DS, Asaleye O, Olusegun OV, Balogun H, Ayeni PO, Ayomipo MA, Berena GA, Okpala EO, Adelakun AD, Akinwumi IA, Ambali OA, Oluwadara O, Otitoju A, Dada M, Gyebi GA, Banwo GO, Kuyoro SE, Abumere TA, Aderemi AV, Adeyemi OS.
Medicinal Plants
The African eggplant you might grow for its bitter, egg-shaped fruit carries rutin and quercetin, plant compounds now showing real promise for a condition affecting nearly a third of women.
Researchers gave rats a compound that triggers fibroid-like growths in the uterus, then treated some of them with extract from African eggplant, a leafy vegetable common in West African cooking. The treated rats showed better hormone levels and healthier ovarian and uterine tissue than untreated ones. When scientists modeled how the plant's natural compounds, rutin and quercetin, interact with a protein linked to fibroids, rutin locked on especially well, hinting at how this everyday vegetable might work as a future remedy.
Key Findings
S. macrocarpon extract significantly reduced elevated testosterone and oestradiol levels in rats with MSG-induced uterine leiomyomas
The extract showed dose-dependent inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, AChE, and MAO enzymes alongside antioxidant activity (DPPH scavenging, iron chelation)
Molecular docking showed rutin bound more strongly than quercetin to the IGLON5 protein, with greater hydrogen bonding and complex stability
chevron_right Technical Summary
African eggplant extract helped reverse uterine fibroid-like changes in rats by correcting hormone imbalances and protecting ovarian tissue, and computer modeling shows the plant compound rutin binds tightly to a protein linked to the condition.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Therapeutic Potential of Solanum macrocarpon in Uterine Leiomyoma: In Vivo and In Silico Approaches.
Uterine leiomyomas affect nearly 30% of women of reproductive age, contributing to increased risks of type II diabetes, infertility, and psychological stress. Emerging studies suggest that somatic ...
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Solanum macrocarpon otherwise known as the African eggplant : añara), Surinamese eggplant or Vietnamese eggplant is a plant of the family Solanaceae. S. macrocarpon is a tropical perennial plant that is closely related to the eggplant. S. macrocarpon originated from West Africa, but is now widely...