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Effects of Dracaena arborea (Dracaenaceae) on sexual dysfunction in 4 weeks hyperglycemic male rats
M Wankeu-Nya1, P Watcho2, T B Nguelefack2
1Animal Physiology and Phytopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, University of Dschang, P.O. BOX 67 Dschang-Cameroon; Laboratory of Animal Biology and Physiology, Department of Animal Organisms Biology, University of Douala, P.O. BOX 24157, Douala-Cameroon.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of Dracaena arborea (D. arborea) on the sexual behavior parameters in experienced type-1 diabetic rats.
Methods:
Aqueous and ethanol (100 and 500 mg/kg respectively) extracts of dried root barks of D. arborea, sildenafil citrate (1.44 mg/kg), trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO, 20 mg/kg) and distilled water (10 mL/kg) were orally administered to 4 weeks streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Mount latency and frequency (ML, MF), intromission latency and frequency (IL, IF) and post-ejaculatory interval (PEI) were measured by ejaculatory series during 90 min once a week for 4 weeks. Glycemia was determined at the beginning and at the end of the treatment.
Results:
D. arborea did not show any major antihyperglycemic effects. Compared to the control group, a significant (P<0.05-0.001) increase in MF and IF was noticed in rats treated with sildenafil citrate (89.71% and 90.07% respectively), aqueous (500 mg/kg, 88.08% and 88.74% respectively) and ethanol (100 mg/kg; 89.53% and 89.17 respectively) extracts of D. arborea after two weeks (series 1) of treatment. ML, IL and PEI were significantly (P<0.05-0.001) decreased after 4 weeks of daily treatment [sildenafil citrate (96.31, 96.31% and 34.98%), and D. arborea aqueous 500 mg/kg (94.33, 94.33% and 66.60%) and ethanol extracts 100 mg/kg (96.98, 97.08% and 64.26%)].
Conclusions:
These aphrodisiac potentials of D. arborea in experienced diabetic rats could be due to the antioxidant and androgenic properties of phenols, flavonoids, saponins and sterols revealed in the plant extracts.
