Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Dracaena arborea extracts delay the pro-ejaculatory effect of dopamine and oxytocin in spinal male rats

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 26, pages 213–217 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Dracaena arborea is a medicinal plant with ethnopharmacological aphrodisiac reputation. In the present study, the effect of an intravenous administration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the dried roots of this plant on the ejaculatory pattern of spinal cord-transected and urethane-anaesthetized rats was investigated. In addition, the effects of these extracts were also determined on dopamine and oxytocin-induced ejaculation. Systemic administration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts (5, 20, 60, 100 mg kg−1) of D. arborea did not activate fictive ejaculation, whereas dopamine (0.1 μM kg−1) and oxytocin (0.5 UI kg−1) provoked ejaculation evidenced by the rhythmic contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles accompanied with penile erection and sometimes with expulsion of the seminal plugs. Pretreatment of spinal rats with D. arborea extracts dose-dependently blocked the pro-ejaculatory activity of dopamine and oxytocin. In conclusion, the present study shows that the bioactive substances present in the extracts of D. arborea inhibit the activity of the bulbospongiosus muscles through the blockade of dopaminergic and oxytocinergic receptors in rats.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Okunji CO, Iwu MM, Jackson JE, Tally JD . Biological activity of saponins from two Dracaena species. Adv Exp Med Biol 1996; 204: 415–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Noumi E, Amvam ZPH, Lontsi D . Aphrodisiacs plants used in Cameroon. Fitoterapia 1998; 69: 125–134.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Watcho P, Wankeu-Nyah M, Nguelefack TB, Tapondjou L, Teponno R, Kamanyi A . Pro-sexual effects of Dracaena arborea (wild) link (Dracaenaceae) in sexually experienced male rats. Pharmacologyonline 2007; 1: 400–419.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Rosen RC, Ashton AK . Prosexual drugs: empirical status of the ‘new aphrodisiacs’. Arch Sex Behav 1993; 22: 521–543.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Melis MR, Argiolas A . Dopamine and sexual behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 1995; 19: 19–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Argiolas A, Melis MR . The role of oxytocin and the paraventricular nucleus in the sexual behaviour of male mammals. Physiol Behav 2004; 83: 309–317.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Succu S, Sanna F, Tiziana M, Boi A, Argiolas A, Melis MR . Stimulation of dopamine receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of male rats induces penile erection and increase extra-cellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens: involvement of central oxytocin. Neuropharmacology 2007; 52: 1034–1043.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Carro-Juarez M, Cruz SL, Rodriguez-Manzo G . Evidence for the involvement of a spinal pattern generator in the control of the genital motor pattern of ejaculation. Brain Res 2003; 975: 222–228.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Watcho P, Defo PB, Wankeu-Nya M, Carro-Juarez M, Nguelefack TB, Kamanyi A . Mondia whitei (Periplocaceae) prevents and Guibourtia tessmannii (Caesalpiniaceae) facilitates fictive ejaculation in spinal male rats. BMC Complement Altern Med 2013; 13: 4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Markham KR . Technique of Flavonoid Identification. Academic: New York, NY, USA, 1982 pp 1–113.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Klyne W . Quimica de Los Esteroides. Compania editorial continental SA: Barcelona, Spain, 1970 pp 126–149.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hostettmann K, Marston M, Saponins A . Saponins. In: Dey PM, Harbonne JB (eds). Methods in Plant Biochemistry. Academic: New York, NY, USA, 1991 pp 435–471.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Carro-Juarez M, Lobaton I, Benitez O, Espiritu A . Pro-ejaculatory effect of the aqueous crude extract of Cihuapatli (Montanoa tomentosa) in spinal male rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2006; 106: 111–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Holmes GM, Chapple WD, Leipheimer RE, Sachs BD . Electromyography analysis of male rat perineal muscles during copulation and reflexive erections. Physiol Behav 1991; 49: 1235–1246.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sachs B, Garinello L . Spinal pacemaker controlling sexual reflexes in male rats. Brain Res 1979; 71: 152–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Mc Kenna KE, Chung SK, McVary KT . A model for the study of sexual function in the anesthetised male and female rats. Am J Physiol 1991; 261: R1276–R1285.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mc Kenna KE . Ejaculation. In: Knobil E, Neill J (eds). Encyclopedia of Reproduction. Academic Press: New York, NY, USA, 1999 pp 1002–1008.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Carro-Juarez M, Rodriguez-Manzo G . The spinal generator for ejaculation. Brain Res Rev 2008; 58: 106–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Clement P, Bernabe J, Denys P, Alexandre L, Giuliano F . Ejaculation induced by ICV injection of the preferential dopamine D3 receptor agonist 7-hydroxy-2-(DI-N-Propylamino) tetralin in anesthetized rats. Neuroscience 2007; 145: 605–610.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Gerstenberg TC, Levin DJ, Wagner G . Erection and ejaculation in man. Assessment of the electromyography activity of the bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus muscles. Br J Urol 1990; 65: 395–402.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Pescatori ES, Calbro A, Artibani W, Pagano F, Triban C, Italiano G . Electrical stimulation of the dorsal nerve of the penis evokes reflex tonic erections of the penile body and reflex ejaculatory responses in the spinal rat. J Urol 1993; 149: 627–632.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

WP would like to thank the Academy of Science for Developing World (TWAS) for the ‘TWAS Fellowship for Research and Advanced Training’, Professor Ortiz Alberto Zamora, Director of the ‘Facultad de Agrobiologia y Medicina Veterinaria de la Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala-México’ for local support and the University of Dschang, Cameroon for his research leave at the ‘Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, México’.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology, Animal Physiology and Phytopharmacology Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon

    P Watcho, W-N Modeste & K Albert

  2. Laboratorio de Comportamiento Reproductivo, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico

    M Carro-Juarez

Authors
  1. P Watcho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W-N Modeste
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K Albert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M Carro-Juarez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M Carro-Juarez.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Watcho, P., Modeste, WN., Albert, K. et al. Dracaena arborea extracts delay the pro-ejaculatory effect of dopamine and oxytocin in spinal male rats. Int J Impot Res 26, 213–217 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2014.13

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2014.13

Search

Advanced search

Quick links