Opposite effect of acute and subchronic treatments with Ferula hermonis on copulatory behavior of male rats

Abstract

Sexually potent and sluggish/impotent male rats were orally treated with an extract of Ferula hermonis (30 and 60 mg/kg). The acute administration stimulated sexual motivation in potent rats and improved copulatory performance in sluggish/impotent rats. This last effect was elicited only by the higher dose, which, in parallel, increased serum testosterone levels in rats. On the contrary, when the extract was subchronically administered (10 days) a marked reduction in the percentage of rats achieving ejaculation was detected, together with a general impairment of the copulatory pattern. Furthermore, the repeated administration of the extract (6 mg/kg/day for 10 days) resulted in a significant reduction of testosterone levels in comparison with controls. The present results discourage a repeated assumption of F. hermonis, while suggesting its acute administration to improve the performance in sexual dysfunctions.

Activity of single components of Ferula hermonis on male rat sexual behavior

“…5 The results obtained in the present experiments following the acute administration of single components of F. hermonis suggested that ferutinin plays a main role in the improvement of sexual behavior of potent and, more interestingly, of sluggish/ impotent rats. In this context, a significant effect Figure 2 Effect of acute administration of ferutinin, teferdin and teferin on serum testosterone levels in rats.…”

“…Rats were trained with sexually receptive females seven times, at 5-day intervals, before the experimental test. As previously described, 5 after the seventh pre-experimental training test, rats that concluded the performance in the last three tests were defined as sexually potent. The remaining rats, which failed to achieve ejaculation in one, two or all the last three pre-experimental tests, were considered sexually sluggish or impotent.…”

“…On the contrary, the repeated daily ingestion for 10 days elicited negative effects on the copulatory pattern of potent rats, even if the dosages were strongly reduced. 5 The positive results obtained after a single dose of F. hermonis extract encouraged us to investigate the effects of the single components of the extract. The major components recognized in the herb and roots of F. hermonis were daucane sesquiterpene esters: ferutinol p-hydroxybenzoate (ferutinin), ferutinol benzoate (teferdin), ferutinol vanillate (teferin) and epoxyferutinol benzoate.…”

Influence of Eurycoma longifolia on the copulatory activity of sexually sluggish and impotent male rats

“…The ability of different medicinal plants to improve sexual function (e.g. Tribulus terrestris, Panax ginseng, Ferula hermonis) was ascribed to increased levels of testosterone in the serum (Fahim et al, 1982;Gauthaman et al, 2002;Zanoli et al, 2003) or to an enhanced production of the hormone by Leydig cells (e.g. Ginkgo biloba) (Ye et al, 2008).…”

“…Then a sexually receptive female rat was introduced in the cage and the copulatory test started. The following parameters of sexual behavior were measured as previously described by Ågmo (1997) and by Zanoli et al (2003Zanoli et al ( , 2008:…”