European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

INVESTIGATION OF PRECLINICAL APHRODISIAC ACTIVITY OF LAGENARIA SCICERARIA (MOLINA) STANDL. FRUIT ETHANOL EXTRACT

Sharad Vasantrao Usnale* and Kailash Radhesham Biyani

ABSTRACT

Erectile dysfunction is readily increasing worldwide because of busy and changed modern lifestyle. Its effective management becomes difficult due to side effects, cost and easy availability of better treatment. In the present work the effect of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria(Molina) Standl. fruit as an aphrodisiac on albino rats in vivo studied. Extract was administered orally at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 45 days. The effect on general mating behavior, potency test, morphological studies, and organ weight and sperm motility were tested. The acute toxicity of the extract was also checked. The results were compared with standard reference sildenafil citrate. On oral administration of ethanolic extract on 15th, 30th and 45th day of treatment in all treated groups significantly increased intromission frequency, mounting frequency, ejaculatory latency and significantly decreased parameters are mounting latency, intromission latency, inter intromission interval and post ejaculatory interval. Test for potency showed significant increase. In all experimental animals morphological study showed significant increase in reproductive organs weight and non significant increase in sperm motility. The prolonged treatments for all treated groups were highly effective as compared to the control group. Results revealed that ethanolic extract of L. siceraria fruit showed aphrodisiac activity less than the standard drug. Future study of different fractions of ethanolic extract identifies the potential aphrodisiac chemical constituents

Keywords: Potency test, Morphological study, Ethanolic extract.