Evaluation of the Effects of Aqueous Extract of Cnestis ferrruginea on Sexual Behaviour in Male Rats

Abstract

Cnestis ferruginea, a plant of the connaraceace family, is well known to the West African population, including that of Côte d'Ivoire, through its common use in traditional medicine. The leaves of Cnestis ferruginea are used in traditional African medicine to treat numerous pathologies, including infertility. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract of Cnestis ferruginea leaves on sexual parameters in male rats. The sexual parameters (latency of mating, latency of intromission, latency of ejaculation and mean copulation interval) were assessed by the classical method by administering distilled water, sildenafil citrate (reference molecule) called Viagra at the dose of 5 mg/kg and the aqueous extract of Cnestis ferruginea leaves at the dose of 100 mg/kg per day for eight days to three batches of male rats respectively. These parameters were determined over a period of thirty minutes. The results obtained show that the aqueous extract of Cnestis ferruginea leaves at a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight significantly (p < 0.001) decreases the latency time of mating and the latency time of intromission, whereas this extract significantly (p < 0.001) increases the latency time of ejaculation and the average copulation interval. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of Cnestis ferruginea leaves has aphrodisiac potentialities which are due to the presence of sterols, flavonoids and saponosides in this extract.