LuvHerbs™ Herbal Passion
Pro-erectile
pharmacological effects of Tribulus terrestris extract on
P.G. Adaikan, K. Gauthaman,
and R.N. Prasad SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of oral treatment of Tribulus terrestris (TT) extract on the isolated corpus cavernosal tissue of New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits and to determine the mechanism by which protodioscin (PTN), a constituent of TT, exerts its pharmacological effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four NZW rabbits were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups of 6 each. Group I served as control. Groups II to IV were treated with the extract at different dose levels, i.e. 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The TT extract was administered orally, once daily, for a period of 8 weeks. The rabbits were then sacrificed and their penile tissue isolated to evaluate the responses to both contracting and relaxing pharmacological agents and electrical field stimulation (EFS). RESULTS: PTN on its own had no effect on the isolated corpus cavernosal strips. The relaxant responses to EFS, acetylcholine and nitroglycerin in noradrenaline precontracted tissues from treated groups showed an increase in relaxation of a concentration dependent nature compared to that of the tissues from control group. However, the contractile, anti-erectile response of corpus cavernosal tissue to noradrenaline and histamine showed no significant change between the treatment and the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The relaxant responses to acetylcholine, nitroglycerin and EFS by more than 10%, 24% and 10% respectively compared to their control values and the lack of such effect on the contractile response to noradrenaline and histamine indicate that PTN has a proerectile activity. The enhanced relaxant effect observed is probably due to increase in the release of nitric oxide from the endothelium and nitrergic nerve endings, which may account for its claims as an aphrodisiac. However, further study is needed to clarify the precise mechanism of its action. Aphrodisiac properties of Tribulus terrestris extract (protodioscin) in normal and castrated rats A. Gauthaman, P.G.
Adaikan, R.N. Prasad SUMMARY Tribulus terrestris (TT)
has long been used in traditional Chinese and Indian systems of medicine for
the treatment of various ailments and is popularly claimed to improve sexual
functions in man. Sexual behavior and intracavernous pressure (ICP) were
studied in both normal and castrated rats to further understand the role of
TT containing protodioscin (PTN) as an aphrodisiac. Adult Sprague-Dawley
rats were divided into five groups of 8 each that included distilled water
treated (normal and castrated), testosterone treated (normal and castrated,
10 mg/kg body weight, subcutaneously, bi-weekly) and TT treated (castrated,
5 mg/kg body weight, orally once daily). Decreases in body weight, prostate
weight and ICP were observed among the castrated groups of rats compared to
the intact group. There was an overall reduction in the sexual behavior
parameters in the castrated groups of rats as reflected by decrease in mount
and intromission frequencies (MF and IF) and increase in mount,
intromission, ejaculation latencies (ML, IL, EL) as well as post-ejaculatory
interval (PEI). Compared to the castrated control, treatment of castrated
rats (with either testosterone or TT extract) showed increase in prostate
weight and ICP that were statistically significant. There was also a mild to
moderate improvement of the sexual behavior parameters as evidenced by
increase in MF and IFl; decrease in ML, IL and PEI. These results were
statistically significant. It is concluded that TT extracts appear to
possess aphrodisiac activity probably due to an androgen increasing property
of TT (observed in our earlier study on primates).
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