Enhancement Of Sexual Behavior Research Articles

Therapeutic Roles of Goji Berry and Ginseng in Traditional Chinese

Background: Goji berries (Lycium barbarum), widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, can be applied as a dietary supplement. They are classified as nutraceutical food due to their long and safe traditional use. Ginseng has been increasingly used in the last decades and has become well known for its significant role in preventing and treating many diseases. Methods: The keywords of Goji berry, Ginseng, Traditional Chinese medicine were searched in Google Scholar, Scopus, Research Gate, and PubMed in both English and Chinese languages. Results: Goji berry significantly inhibited the generation and spread of cancer cells, improved eyesight, and increased reserves of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen, which may increase human energy and has anti-fatigue effect. Usage of Goji berries improved brain function and enhanced learning and memory. It had positive effects on anti-cancer, anti-oxidant activities, retinal function preservation, anti-diabetes, immune function, and anti-fatigue. Pharmacological activities of ginseng extracts affected the central nervous system, antipsychotic action, tranquilizing effects, protection from stress ulcers, increase of gastrointestinal motility, anti-fatigue action, endocrinological effects, enhancement of sexual behavior, acceleration of metabolism, or synthesis of carbohydrates, lipids, RNA, and proteins. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng helps to maintain a healthy immune system. Conclusions: In this review article we found that Goji berries and Ginseng were sources of compounds with valuable nutritional and bioactive properties. Therefore, they could be incorporated into foods with functional properties. More clinical studies are necessary to uncover the numerous substances and their effects in goji berries and ginseng that contribute to public health.

Evaluation of the aphrodisiac activity of Tribulus terrestris Linn. in sexually sluggish male albino rats

Objectives:To study the effect of acute and repeated dose administration of lyophilized aqueous extract of the dried fruits of Tribulus terrestris (LAET) on sexual function in sexually sluggish male albino rats.Materials and Methods:Aphrodisiac activity of the test drug was evaluated in terms of exhibited sexual behavior. In order to assess the effect of chronic T. terrestris exposure on the hypothalamus--pituitary--gonadal axis, testosterone level estimation and sperm count were carried out. Twenty-eight-day oral toxicity studies were carried out to evaluate the long-term effects of the LAET administration on different body systems.Results:A dose-dependent improvement in sexual behavior was observed with the LAET treatment as characterized by an increase in mount frequency, intromission frequency, and penile erection index, as well as a decrease in mount latency, intromission latency, and ejaculatory latency. The enhancement of sexual behavior was more prominent on chronic administration of LAET. Chronic administration of LAET produced a significant increase in serum testosterone levels with no significant effect on the sperm count. No overt body system dysfunctions were observed in 28-day oral toxicity study.Conclusions:Findings of the present study validate the traditional use of T. terrestris as a sexual enhancer in the management of sexual dysfunction in males.

Facilitation of sexual receptivity in the female rat by C-terminal fragments of LHRH

Ovariectomized female rats implanted with cannulae directed bilaterally towards the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) were primed with estrogen (2 μg) and tested for sexual receptivity before and after infusion of the C-terminal LHRH fragment, Ac-LHRH 5–10. Animals responsive to the Ac-LHRH 5–10 fragment were tested at two-week intervals for responsiveness to other LHRH fragments modified in the C-terminal or saline in the following order: LHRH 5–10, des-Gly 6LHRH, LHRH 5–9OH, saline, and LHRH 7–9OH. The lordosis-to-mount (L/M) ratio was used as an index of sexual receptivity. The quality of lordotic posturing and the number of proceptive and resistive behaviors were also recorded for each test. A one-way ANOVA performed on the difference in L/M between pre- and postifusion tests revealed a significant overall treatment effect. The nonacetylated LHRH 5–10 fragment and the LHRH 5–9OH fragment were effective in enhancing the L/M ratio, whereas des-Gly 6LHRH and LHRH 7–9OH were not. The enhancement of sexual behavior by C-terminal fragments of LHRH was associated with a lack of proceptive behavior and moderate levels of resistive behavior. The results indicate that several C-terminal fragments of LHRH are capable of elevating the L/M ratio and suggest that amino acids in positions 6 through 9 may be important for this effect.

Hypothalamic nuclear progestin receptors and the duration of sexual receptivity in ovariectomized and ovariectomized-hysterectomized rats

In order to determine if the enhancement of sexual behavior in hysterectomized rats is associated with an increased level of hypothalamic nuclear progestin receptors, ovariectomized (OVX) and ovariectomized-hysterectomized (OVHX) rats were injected with 2 μg estradiol benzoate. Twenty-four hr later, animals were injected with 0.5 mg progesterone and were tested for sexual receptivity every 4 hr. Hysterectomy had an overall facilitatory effect on lordosis and increased the duration of the period of sexual receptivity by about 4 hr. In a second experiment, similarly-treated animals were killed 4, 8, or 12 hr after progesterone injection, and hypothalamic nuclear progestin receptor levels were measured. In contrast to what has been reported for guinea pigs, nuclear progestin receptor levels decreased to baseline 8–12 hr before the termination of sexual receptivity. Nuclear progestin receptor concentrations were higher in OVHX rats than in OVX rats at 4 hr after progesterone injection, and there was a trend toward higher receptor concentrations in OVHX rats at 8 hr. These results demonstrate that hysterectomy-induced facilitation of sexual receptivity is associated with an increased level of hypothalamic nuclear progestin receptors. Furthermore, they suggest a fundamental difference in the regulation of nuclear progestin receptor retention between rats and guinea pigs.

Enhancement of sexual behavior in female rats by neonatal transplantation of brain tissue from males.

Transplantation of preoptic tissue from male rat neonates into the preoptic area of female littermates increased masculine and feminine sexual behavior in the recipients during adulthood. This suggests that functional connections develop between the transplanted neural tissue and the host brain. A new intraparenchymal brain transplantation technique was used to achieve these results.

Enhancement of sexual behavior in the female rat by nicotine

The effects of nicotine alone or in combination with mecamylamine, and the effects of both in combination with DA agonists and antagonists and d-LSD (5-HT agonist) have been studied on the sexual behaviour of castrate, estrogen-treated female rats. The results show that nicotine (as low as 50 μg/kg) significantly increases sexual receptivity. The pharmacological analysis suggests this effect to be mediated by a central, nicotine-like cholinergic receptor whose relationship to DA and 5-HT pathways known to exert inhibitory influences on receptivity in the female rat is also discussed.