Effect of formulated polyherbal tea blends on erectile function biomarkers in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Male Rats

Abstract

This study determined the effect of polyherbal tea blend (PTB) from Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Calyx, Soursop (Annona. Muricata), and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leave on fasting blood glucose level (FBGL), glycated hemoglobin, insulin, and enzymes [arginase, angiotensin-I converting enzyme, thiobarbituric acid reactive species, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), and purinergic and antioxidant enzymes] related to erectile dysfunction (ED) in the penile homogenate of diabetes mellitus (DM) rats’ model. The samples were prepared and blended in the ratio of 2:2:6 and bagged to contain 1 gram. The sweetening/sweetening (S/US- PTB) teabags, were infused with 20 ml of boiled water for 5 (S/US-PTB-5) and 10 (S/US-PTB-10) min, respectively. The animals were made diabetic [except the normal control (NC) group] with streptozotocin intraperitoneally, and grouped into NC, DM, DM+Acarbose (ACA), DM+S-PTB-5, DM+S-PTB-10, DM+US-PTB-5, and DM+US-PTB-10. The result revealed that the PTB decreased FBGL and related enzymes, but improved insulin level and antioxidant status in the diabetes-induced ED (DMED), while the S/US-PTB-10 appeared better. Since the formulated PTB is in line with the therapeutic effect, the tea can be used as a therapeutic agent for managing not only diabetes but also DMED. However, sexual behavior, clinical trials, and phytochemical screening of the PTB should be carried out.