Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. attenuates male reproductive aging through modulation of mTOR-Beclin-1-mediated autophagy in Leydig and Sertoli cells

Zhang Y, Feng J, Xie T, Zhang X, Pan D, Liu S, Zhao D, Wang S, Liu M, Yu S · 2026 · Journal of Ethnopharmacology · Atlas ID ZHANG2026B

What this study shows

Chinese yam protein extract (CYCSE) attenuates male reproductive aging by activating testicular autophagy through the mTOR-Beclin-1 axis in Leydig and Sertoli cells; mTOR activation blocks protective effects.

Abstract

ShowHide

This study investigated the efficacy of Chinese yam protein extract (CYCSE) from Dioscorea polystachya in attenuating aging-related reproductive decline. In aged rats and D-galactose-induced senescent mouse Leydig and Sertoli cells, CYCSE ameliorated testicular histopathology, restored sperm parameters, increased testosterone levels, reduced senescence markers (SA-beta-gal, p16, p21, p53), and mitigated oxidative stress. TEM confirmed restored autophagic flux in senescent cells. Mechanistically, CYCSE restored autophagic activity via the mTOR-Beclin-1 signaling axis.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Rat (aged model); Mouse Leydig (TM3) and Sertoli (TM4) cells); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	Rat (aged model); Mouse Leydig (TM3) and Sertoli (TM4) cells
Journal	Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.jep.2026.122304 · PMID 42595064

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Chinese yam protein extract (CYCSE); mTOR activator (control)
Target	mTOR-Beclin-1 axis; autophagy; Star; Cyp11a1
Model	Rat; Mouse
Effect	CYCSE suppresses mTOR to activate autophagy via Beclin-1, reducing senescence markers and restoring reproductive function in aged testicular cells

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

ShowHide

Zhang, Y., Feng, J., Xie, T., Zhang, X., Pan, D., Liu, S., Zhao, D., Wang, S., Liu, M., & Yu, S. (2026). Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. attenuates male reproductive aging through modulation of mTOR-Beclin-1-mediated autophagy in Leydig and Sertoli cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2026.122304

@article{ZHANG2026B,
  author       = {Zhang, Y. and Feng, J. and Xie, T. and Zhang, X. and Pan, D. and Liu, S. and Zhao, D. and Wang, S. and Liu, M. and Yu, S.},
  title        = {{Dioscorea polystachya Turcz. attenuates male reproductive aging through modulation of mTOR-Beclin-1-mediated autophagy in Leydig and Sertoli cells}},
  journal      = {Journal of Ethnopharmacology},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.jep.2026.122304},
  note         = {PMID: 42595064},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record ZHANG2026B) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/ZHANG2026B/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_ZHANG2026B,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record ZHANG2026B},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/ZHANG2026B/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

Was this page useful?