Adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs on hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in males: A review

The HPG axis is critical in the maintenance of spermatogenesis and sexual function in males. The GnRH-releasing neurons of the hypothalamus are the axis's main hierarchical element. These neurons make connections with different areas of the brain to regulate the release of GnRH. Neurotransmitters have a critical in the connections between these neurons. So, neurotransmitters can inhibit or stimulate the release of GnRH by affecting GnRH-releasing neurons. In neurological disorders, neurotransmitter's activities inevitably change; therefore, these changes can affect the HPG axis via affecting GnRH-releasing neurons, just like in epilepsy. Many investigations have attracted attention to be decreased fertility potential in males with epilepsy. It has been stated that changes in the HPG axis hormone levels have been found in these patients. Moreover, it has also been observed that sperm quality decreased in patients. It has been emphasized that a decrease in sperm quality may be related to both epilepsy and AEDs. It has been shown that AEDs caused decreased sperm quality by impairing the HPG axis, so they act like endocrine-disrupting chemicals. AEDs can affect fertility and cause additive adverse effects in terms of sperm quality together with epilepsy. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the adverse reproductive effects of AEDs, which are frequently used during reproductive ages, and determine the role of the HPG axis on potential reproductive pathologies.

α-Glucosidase inhibitory activities, functional properties, and safety of green tea polysaccharides as a potential source of dietary supplement

Procuring valuable bioactive compounds from low quality green tea is of great interest. Green tea polysaccharides (GTPS), obtained from low quality tea leaves, were examined for their yield, monosaccharide composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant potential, and structures as well as molecular weight distribution and in vitro anti-diabetic activities. GTPS were also evaluated for their toxicity by performing cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Additionally, 50% lethal dose (LD50) for GTPS was determined using an acute toxicity test to assess the safe use of it as a dietary supplement. Monosaccharides of GTPS were mainly composed of xylose, glucose, ribose, galactose, arabinose, and glucuronic acid. GTPS exhibited 91.86% α-glucosidase inhibition at 0.5 mg/mL concentration. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of GTPS was higher than that of pharmacological glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, which exhibited only 47.86% inhibition at 2.5 mg/mL concentration. Neither cytotoxic nor no mutagenic effects were found for GTPS. The acute toxicity also showed that LD50 of GTPS was greater than 5,000 mg/kg. The present work suggests that GTPS can be considered as an anti-diabetic dietary supplement without posing any potential health risk.