Abstract
In Côte d'Ivoire, the market of aphrodisiacs of natural origin has been significantly growing over the last decades. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the most employed by Ivorian men, called Aphro. For that, Caco-2/TC7 enterocytes and Vero ATCC cells kidney epithelial cells grown in DMEM medium were exposed to Aphro at concentrations ranging from 216 to 864 µg/mL. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released upon cell death was assayed after 1, 2 and 24h of exposure. In parallel, the effect of Apho was evaluated in differentiated confluent cells by measurements of the trans-epithelial electrical resistance. A time course and significant dose response related increase of LDH was measured in the culture medium of Caco-2/TC7 and Vero ATCC cells exposed to the aphrodisiac. The trans-epithelial electrical resistance of the Caco-2/TC7 cell monolayers also showed a significant decrease from 1400 Ω*cm2 at the onset of the experiment to 450 Ω*cm2 after 24 h of treatment. Cell detachment and structural disorganization were observed in both cell lines. This study reveals the strong cytotoxicity of Aphro extract on both cell lines.
Highlights
Erectile dysfunction is defined as a persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection that is sufficiently rigid and durable to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse [1, 2, 3].Several factors are responsible for erectile dysfunction, including psychological factors [4,5,6] physiological factors [7, 8, 9]
Cytotoxicity tests were performed on the following cell lines: a human tumor cell line of intestinal origin isolated from a colonic adenocarcinoma (Caco-2/TC7) and Vero ATCC cells from the kidneys of African green monkey (Certopithecus aethiops)
Cytotoxicity: Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) assay on Caco 2/TC7 cells The evaluation of the cytotoxicity of the phytomedicine Aphro on Caco-2/TC7 and Vero cells was realized at different concentrations and at 1, 2 and 24 h intervals by measuring Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release
Summary
Erectile dysfunction is defined as a persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection that is sufficiently rigid and durable to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse [1, 2, 3].Several factors are responsible for erectile dysfunction, including psychological factors [4,5,6] physiological factors (hormonal, hypertension, diabetes) [7, 8, 9]. More than 150 million men are affected worldwide [10]and its prevalence is estimated to more than 300 million people in 2025 [11, 3] with a large increase in developing countries, in Africa, Asia and South America [12]. In Côte d'Ivoire, the prevalence of men affected by erectile dysfunction is unknown. In recent years an increasing rush to natural sexual stimulants issued from traditional medicine has been observed. These natural products are sold at almost every street corner and are proposed as syrups, decoctions, herbal tea or powders. One of them (Aphro) remains by far the most popular product
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