Scientists from the University of J'pura find out Medicines for menorrhagia

 Lab testing of mouse trail has succeeded 

The Department of Chemistry of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura has carried out research to develop a medicine for woman's menorrhagia is caused by excessive flow and prolongs duration in the monthly period.

The chemicals of an immature inflorescence of King Coconut that used to Ayurvedic and Traditional medicine for woman's diseases in Sri Lanka has used. The research team is going to demonstrate it as scientifically on the lab testing with the mouse trail. 

Prof Chayanika Padumadasa, Department of Chemistry, together with Emeritus Prof Ajith  Abeysekara of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura is conducting this ongoing research on behalf of women. PhD students at the Chemistry Department, Ms Durga Dharmadana, Charitha Priyadharshani Attanayake and Ms Prathitha Tenne are carrying out the lab testing under the direction of Prof Padumadasa.

Accordance with the research, Prof Padumadasa commented as follows, 

Prof Chayanika 

''Despite advances in modern medicine, traditional medical systems such as Ayurveda continue to hold their sway in the world today. Modern scientific research has not only provided a rationalization for many of the practices of traditional medicine but has also used traditional medicine as a knowledge base for the development of new drugs. This ongoing research provides a fascinating example of scientific research based on traditional medicine.

In women, menorrhagia is menstruation at regular cycle intervals but with excessive flow and duration. According to World Health Organization data, approximately 18 million women worldwide are affected by menorrhagia. In western medicine, a broad spectrum of medications is used to treat menorrhagia. When not successful, women undergo a hysterectomy, a major gynaecological surgery, and in the majority the removed uteri are structurally normal. Thus, there is a need for newer more effective drugs to treat menorrhagia.

Considering the fact that ayurvedic and traditional medical practitioners of Sri Lanka use the immature inflorescence of king coconut for the treatment of menorrhagia and given the predominance of proanthocyanidins in the inflorescence of king coconut, investigators considered the possibility that proanthocyanidins play a role in controlling menorrhagia by influencing the levels of reproductive hormones.

Emeritus Prof Ajith

Thus, investigators studied the effect of proanthocyanidins on the reproductive cycle of female rats, and oestrogen and progesterone levels were measured in their peak phases. The levels of oestrogen and progesterone for the control group rats were within the normal range. There was no significant difference in the estrogen level between control and test group animals. However, there was a highly significant increase in progesterone levels of the test group rats compared to that of control group rats.

Many of the drugs used in the treatment of menorrhagia in modern medicine mimic the action of natural progesterone in the body by interacting with progesterone receptors. In contrast, proanthocyanidins of the king coconut lead to an increase in the progesterone levels in rats. These results are consonant with the holistic approach of Ayurveda to therapy of focusing on the normalizing body functions rather than the direct effect of drugs on receptors. The widespread belief in the safety of herbal medicines is supported by toxicity studies in this case which indicates that proanthocyanidins are safe at high doses in the rat model. 

Menstruation may lead to the excessive or prolonged inflammatory response within the endometrium due to the improper regulation of inflammatory mediators produced by endometrial stem cells by activating the NF-kB pathway upon progesterone withdrawal. This may trigger endometrial immune cell proliferation and influx of leukocytes to the endometrium during menstruation and involved in more endometrial shedding and thereby leading to excessive bleeding. Currently, studies are being conducted to investigate the immunomodulatory properties of proanthocyanidins of the king coconut inflorescence on the cytokine production of cultured endometrial mesenchymal stem cells.

The investigators are extremely grateful to Snr. Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, Vice-chancellor of University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Snr. Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, Former Vice-chancellor of The University of Sri Jayewardenepura for providing financial support through University Grants to conduct this research. The investigators are also grateful to the Department of Chemistry, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Animal Centre, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and every one of institutions and individuals who supported to the success of the research.'' Prof Padumadasa said.