Z.X. Wang1, Y.Y. Shao2, J. Wang1 and R. Ji1,3
1Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and
Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, Inner Mongolia, P.R. China
2College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’ an 710119, Shaanxi, P.R. China
3Camel Research Institute of Inner Mongolia, Alashan 737300, Inner Mongolia, P. R. China
ABSTRACT
Bokhi is a transparent, water-soluble, sticky and odorous liquid containing sex steroids, that is secreted by male camels from their occipital or poll glands during the mating season. We investigated whether Bokhi has positive therapeutic effects on the treatment of uterine leiomyoma (ULM). ULM model rats were established by multipoint subcutaneous injections of a combination of diethylstilbesterol and progesterone for 11 successive weeks. Rats were then treated by oral administration of Bokhi for a further 7 successive weeks. Following the 11 weeks of injections the levels of serum estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pro), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in ULM rats were significantly higher than the non-ULM control rats (P < 0.05). This demonstrated that development of the ULM model was successful. After 7 weeks of oral treatment with Bokhi there was no significant difference in the levels of E2, Pro, FSH, TNF-α, iterleukin-2 (IL-2) and NOS between the ULM rats fed high doses of Bokhi (HDB) and the non-ULM control rats (P > 0.05). This demonstrates that high doses of Bokhi from camels could improve ULM and that there should be further research on Bokhi and its potential therapeutic uses.
Key words: Bokhi, camel, occipital gland secretion, sex steroid, uterine leiomyoma
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