Standardized mixture of Pluchea indica and Sauropus androgynus extract stimulates the gene expression associated with lactogenesis in rats

Pluchea indica (P. indica) and Sauropus androgynus (S. androgynus) are medicinal plants empirically used as an herbal galactogogue, but their mechanism of action has not been elucidated at the molecular level in the form of a mixed extract. This research aimed to standardize and investigate the combined effects of P. indica leaf extract (EPI) and S. androgynus leaf extract (ESA) on the expressions of prolactin (PRL), PRL receptor (PRLR), oxytocin (OXT), and OXT receptor (OXTR) genes in pituitary and mammary glands of lactating rats. The extracts were prepared by maceration in 70 ethanol. Standardization was done by examining non-specific parameters and determining total flavonoids using spectrophotometric analysis. Twenty-four lactating rats were divided into six groups. Group I: CMC 0.5 as control, II: EPI 500 mg/kgBW, III: ESA 125 mg/kgBW, and IV–VI were given combination formula EPI-ESA 1: 125+31.25, EPI-ESA 2: 250+62.5, and EPI-ESA 3: 500+125 mg/kgBW (orally, once a day) from the 2nd–15th day after parturition. On the 16th day, experimental animals were euthanized for tissue sampling, and gene expression was measured using real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The study of the non-specific parameters revealed water content, total ash, and acid-insoluble ash met criteria based on the Indonesian Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Evaluation of total flavonoids yielded 7.33 ± 0.00 and 3.84 ± 0.01 w/w for EPI and ESA, respectively. Test results showed balanced induction of all target genes was achieved when subjects received EPI-ESA 2. We concluded that EPI-ESA can potentially support lactogenesis by stimulating the expressions of PRL, PRLR, OXT, and OXTR genes. © 2024 Eustachia Diajeng Wandansari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).