The Influence of Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) on Sex Reversal in Guppy Poecilia reticulata

Year 2017, Volume: 4 Issue: 3, Special Issue 1, 205 - 210, 25.11.2017

Funda Turan

https://doi.org/10.21448/ijsm.370360

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The roots and rhizomes of licorice (Glycyrrhiza) species have long been used worldwide as a herbal medicine and natural sweetener. Licorice is commonly present in menopausal botanical supplements in the United States. The estrogenic activities of different licorice species are variable and likely depend on the type and amounts of bioactive compounds. This study examined the effects of Licorice root extract on sex reversal in guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Newly born guppy fry (0.014 ± 0.001 mean weight), were randomly distributed into 30 L aquaria at a density of 80 fish per aquarium and subjected to a sex-reversal treatment by immersion application of licorise root extract for 30 days. The licorise root extract was incorporated into the aquarium water as follows: 0 (control), 0.25 and 0.5 g/ L licorice root extract. Each of the treatment group was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of fish. The treatment was repeated twice (in the beginning and half way through the experiment) during 30 days. At the end of experiment, the highest feminization (88%) was observed at 0.5 g\L licorise root extract group. Morphological and histological examinations of the gonads in all groups revealed no intersex fish. Histological examination of fish treated with licorise root revealed no damage to the testes or ovaries. This study demonstrated successful sex reversal with treatment of licorise root on new-born progenies of P. reticulate.

Keywords

Guppy, Poecilia reticulata, Licorice Root, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Sex reversal

The Influence of Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) on Sex Reversal in Guppy Poecilia reticulata

Abstract

The
roots and rhizomes of licorice (Glycyrrhiza) species have long been used
worldwide as a herbal medicine and natural sweetener. Licorice is commonly
present in menopausal botanical supplements in the United States. The
estrogenic activities of different licorice species are variable and likely
depend on the type and amounts of bioactive compounds. This study examined the
effects of Licorice root extract on sex reversal in guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Newly born guppy fry (0.014 ± 0.001 mean
weight), were randomly distributed into 30 L aquaria at a density of 80 fish
per aquarium and subjected to a sex-reversal treatment by immersion application of licorise root extract for 30 days. The licorise root extract was incorporated
into the aquarium water as follows: 0 (control), 0.25 and 0.5 g/ L licorice
root extract. Each of the treatment group was randomly assigned to triplicate
groups of fish. The treatment was repeated twice (in the beginning and half way
through the experiment) during 30 days. At the end of experiment, the highest
feminization (88%) was observed
at 0.5 g\L licorise root extract
group. Morphological and
histological examinations of the gonads in all groups revealed no intersex
fish. Histological examination of fish treated with licorise root revealed no
damage to the testes or ovaries. This study demonstrated successful sex
reversal with treatment of licorise root on new-born progenies of P. reticulate.

Keywords

Guppy, Poecilia reticulata, Licorice Root, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Sex reversal

References

• Villa-Cruz, V., Davila, J., Viana, M. T., & Vazquez-Duhalt, R. (2009). Effect of broccoli (Brassica oleracea) and its phytochemical sulforaphane in balanced diets on the detoxification enzymes levels of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to a carcinogenic and mutagenic pollutant. Chemosphere, 74(9), 1145-1151. Makkar, H. P. S., Francis, G., & Becker, K. (2007). Bioactivity of phytochemicals in some lesser-known plants and their effects and potential applications in livestock and aquaculture production systems. Animal, 1(9), 1371-1391.
• Denev, S. A. (2008). Ecological alternatives of antibiotic growth promoters in the animal husbandry and aquaculture. DSc (Doctoral dissertation, Thesis, Department of Biochemistry Microbiology, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria).
• Dixon, R. A. (2004). Phytoestrogens. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 55, 225-261.
• Setchell, K. D. (1998). Phytoestrogens: the biochemistry, physiology, and implications for human health of soy isoflavones. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 68(6), 1333S-1346S.
• Setchell, K. D. R. (1995). Non-steroidal estrogens of dietary origin: possible roles in health and disease, metabolism and physiological effects. In Proc. Nutr. Soc. NZ (Vol. 20, pp. 1-21).
• Tzchori, I., Degani, G., Elisha, R., Eliyahu, R., Hurvitz, A., Vaya, J., & Moav, B. (2004). The influence of phytoestrogens and oestradiol‐17β on growth and sex determination in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Aquaculture research, 35(13), 1213-1219.
• Turan, F., & Akyurt, I. (2005). Effects of red clover extract on growth performance and body composition of African catfish Clarias gariepinus. Fisheries Science, 71(3), 618-620.
• Turan, F. (2006). Improvement of growth performance in tilapia (Orepochrimis aureus Linnaeus) by supplementation of red clover Trifolium pratense in diets.
• Cek, S., Turan, F., & Atik, E. (2007). The effects of Gokshura, Tribulus terrestris on sex reversal of guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Pakistan journal of biological sciences: PJBS, 10(5), 718-725.
• Chakraborty, S. B., & Hancz, C. (2011). Application of phytochemicals as immunostimulant, antipathogenic and antistress agents in finfish culture. Reviews in Aquaculture, 3(3), 103-119.
• Armanini, D., Fiore, C., Mattarello, M. J., Bielenberg, J., & Palermo, M. (2002). History of the endocrine effects of licorice. Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes, 110(06), 257-261.
• Armanini, D., Mattarello, M. J., Fiore, C., Bonanni, G., Scaroni, C., Sartorato, P., & Palermo, M. (2004). Licorice reduces serum testosterone in healthy women. Steroids, 69(11), 763-766.
• Davis, E. A., & Morris, D. J. (1991). Medicinal uses of licorice through the millennia: the good and plenty of it. Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 78(1), 1-6.
• Barbieri, R. L., Rein, M. S., Hornstein, M. D., & Ryan, K. J. (1988). Rat Leydig cell and granulosa cell 17-ketosteroid reductase activity: subcellular localization and substrate specificity. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 159(6), 1564-1569.
• Takeuchi, T., Nishii, O., Okamura, T., & Yaginuma, T. (1991). Effect of paeoniflorin, glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetic acid on ovarian androgen production. The American journal of Chinese medicine, 19(01), 73-78.
• Armanini, D., Bonanni, G., & Palermo, M. (1999). Reduction of serum testosterone in men by licorice. New England Journal of Medicine, 341(15), 1158-1158.
• Armanini, D., Bonanni, G., Mattarello, M. J., Fiore, C., Sartorato, P., & Palermo, M. (2003). Licorice consumption and serum testosterone in healthy man. Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes, 111(06), 341-343.
• Tamaya, T., Sato, S., & Okada, H. H. (1986). Possible mechanism of steroid action of the plant herb extracts glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, and paeoniflorin: inhibition by plant herb extracts of steroid protein binding in the rabbit. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 155(5), 1134-1139.
• Joshi, V. S., Parekh, B. B., Joshi, M. J., & Vaidya, A. B. (2005). Herbal extracts of Tribulus terrestris and Bergenia ligulata inhibit growth of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals in vitro. Journal of Crystal Growth, 275(1), 1403-1408.
• Gauthaman, K., & Adaikan, P. G. (2005). Effect of Tribulusterrestris on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase activity and androgen receptors in rat brain. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 96(1), 127-132.
• Kavumpurath, S., & Pandian, T. J. (1993). Production of a YY female guppy, Poecilia reticulata, by endocrine sex reversal and progeny testing. Aquaculture, 118(3-4), 183-189.
• Çek, Ş., Bromage, N., Randall, C., & Rana, K. (2001). Oogenesis, hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indexes, and sex ratio in rosy barb (Puntius conchonius). Turkish journal of fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1(2).
• Park, I. S., Kim, J. M., Kim, Y. H., & Kim, D. S. (1988). Influence of lidocaine as an anaesthetic for marine fishes. Journal of fish pathology, 1(2), 123-130.
• Norusis, M. J. (1993). SPSS for windows: advanced statistics, release 6.0 (pp. 107-144). Chicago: SPSS inc..
• Grant, P., & Ramasamy, S. (2012). An update on plant derived anti-androgens. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 10(2), 497.
• Simons, R., Vincken, J. P., Mol, L. A., Bovee, T. F., Luijendijk, T. J., Verbruggen, M. A., & Gruppen, H. (2011). Agonistic and antagonistic estrogens in licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 401(1), 305-313.
• Somjen, D., Knoll, E., Vaya, J., Stern, N., & Tamir, S. (2004). Estrogen-like activity of licorice root constituents: glabridin and glabrene, in vascular tissues in vitro and in vivo. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 91(3), 147-155.
• Simmler, C., Pauli, G. F., & Chen, S. N. (2013). Phytochemistry and biological properties of glabridin. Fitoterapia, 90, 160-184.
• Turan, F., & Cek, S. (2007). Masculinization of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) treated with gokshura (Tribulus terrestris).