Identification of chemical constituents responsible for potential androgenic efficacy of Withania somnifera and Chlorophytum borivilianum root solvent extracts for production of monosex Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

ABSTRACT

Bioactivity-guided fractionation was performed between March and June 2019 to identify the phytoconstituents in extracts of Withania somnifera and Chlorophytum borivilianum that were responsible for androgenic efficacy by inducing maleness in Nile tilapia. Fish hatchlings were fed diets containing water, methanol, and ethanol extracts at 0.5, 0.75, and 0.9 gm/kg feed concentrations. For W. somnifera, the highest male percentage (89.63 ± 0.9) was obtained with methanol extract at 0.75 gm/kg feed concentration. For C. borivilianum, the highest male percentage (93.64 ± 0.9) was obtained with ethanol extract at 0.75 gm/kg feed concentration. Three fractions of methanol extract of Withania somnifera roots (W1 to W3) and six fractions of ethanol extract of Chlorophytum borivilianum roots (S1 to S6) were obtained through column chromatography followed by TLC. During dietary treatment (0.75 gm/kg feed) with those fractions, W1 and S4 showed higher male percentage than others. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of W1 and S4 revealed the presence of various unsaturated fatty acids with antiaromatase activity that might be responsible for the androgenic effect of the extracts.

KEYWORDS:

• Plant extracts
• sex reversal
• bioactivity-guided fractionation
• gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
• aromatase inhibitors

Acknowledgement

GC-MS-based work was provided by the Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Central Instrumentation Facility II, and supported by DST-FIST Program, Govt. of India [Grant Number: SR/FST/LS1-459/2010].

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.