EFFECT OF LEPIDIUM MEYENII (MACA) EXTRACTS ON SEXUAL PERFORMANCE IN MICE, AND THE SEMINAL VESICLE WEIGHT AND SERUM TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN CASTRATED MICE
Yongzhong Zhang*, Longjiang Yu., Wenwen Jin and Mingzhang Ao.
ABSTRACT
This study aims to evaluate the effect of oral administration of aether、ethanolic and aqueous extract of Maca on sexual performance in healthy male mice, and the sexual gland weight and serum testosterone levels in castrated male mice. Healthy male mice or mice with orchidectomy were randomly divided into several experimental and control groups, the experimental groups were oral administrated with aether、ethanolic or aqueous extract of Maca, both sham and castrated control received vehicle, the intromission latency (IL) and the number of intromissions in 1 hour were evaluated in healthy mice, the seminal vesicle weight and serum testosterone levels were measured in castrated mice. It was observed that Maca extracts significantly decreased IL (except for ethanol extract) and increased the number of intromissions （P<0.01）as compared to controls, and the most effective fraction was aether extract. Higher dose of Maca aether, ethanol and aqueous extract remarkably increase weight of seminal vesicle in castrated mice (P<0.05), but no measurable difference was observed in serum testosterone levels compared with control group. Our results indicated that Maca extracts improved sexual performance of healthy male mice, the ether fraction was most effective, and increase the sexual gland weight in castrated male mice, but this effect was not due to the changes in serum testosterone levels.
Keywords: Lepidium meyenii, Maca, sexual performance, seminal vesicle weight, serum testosterone.
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