Abstract
Clerodendron capitatum (Willd) (family: verbenaceae) is locally named as Gung and used traditionally to treat erectile dysfunction. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the erectogenic properties of C. capitatum. The relaxation effect of this plant was tested on phenylephrine precontracted rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM). The effects of C. capitatum were also examined on isolated Guinea pig atria alone, in the presence of calcium chloride (Ca2+ channel blocker), atropine (cholinergic blocker), and glibenclamide (ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker). These effects were confirmed on isolated rabbit aortic strips. The extract, when tested colorimetrically for its inhibitory activities on phosphordiesterase-5 (PDE-5) in vitro towards p-nitrophenyl phenyl phosphate (PNPPP), was observed to induce significant dose-dependent inhibition of PDE-5, with an ID50 of 0.161 mg/ml (P < .05). In conclusion, our results suggest that C. capitatum possesses a relaxant effect on CCSM, which is attributable to the inhibition of PDE-5, but not mediated by the release calcium, activation of adrenergic or cholinergic receptors, or the activation of potassium channels.
Highlights
Erectile dysfunction is a serious clinical problem in adult men
The plant C. capitatum was collected by a team from Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Institute (MAPRI), National Center for Research (NCR), Sudan during their scientific trip to Nuba Mountains, Kordofan State, Sudan
This study investigated the relaxant effects of C. capitatum extract and sildenafil on corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM) preparation, to clarify mechanistically the effect of this plant in the penile erection
Summary
The malfunction of penile erection could be due to impaired relaxation of the smooth muscle related to the increase in blood flow into the spaces of the corpus cavernosum [1]. Various reports on natural products with vasodilating effects on corpus cavernosum smooth muscle appeared recently [3, 4]. Clerodendron capitatum (Willd) (family: verbenaceae), locally named as Gung in Sudan, is an indigenous tropical African plant, which grows fast, erect, well branched and grows up to 0.5–2 m high [5]. In Sudan, the roots of this plant are used traditionally in the management of male erectile dysfunction [6, 7]. An extensive pharmacological investigation is needed to explore the biological activities of this plant associated with its folk phytotherapy for erectile dysfunction. The current study was designed to investigate the erectogenic properties of C. capitatum
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