AN EVALUATION OF THE APHRODISIAC AND FERTILITY ENHANCING EFFECT OF THE METHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACT OF CISSUS POPULNEA Guill.And Perr. (Vitaceae)

ABSTRACT

Aphrodisiac activity of Cissus populnea was assessed using physical, biochemical and psychological methods. Rats were randomized into five groups of six rats. The first group received normal saline (10ml/kg), the second, third and fourth groups received extract doses of 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg respectively while the fifth group received 5mg/kg of sildenafil citrate orally for 28 days. On the 24th day, the effect of the root extract of Cissus populnea (CPRE) on mounting and mating frequencies was evaluated. The psychological (mood) effect of CPRE was evaluated on the 27th day by exposing the treated rats to the elevated plus maze (EPM) for five (5) minutes and the time spent in the open and close arms of the EPM were recorded. On the 29th day, the rats were anaesthetized with diethylether and blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis (testosterone, cortisol, prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, liver and kidney function parameters). Testes were removed and an incision was made at the caudal epididymis were transferred into a petri dish containing normal saline from where sperm samples were collected using a Neubauler ruled chamber to ascertain the sperm count and morphology. The antioxidant effect of CPRE was compared with that of ascorbic acid using DPPH (2, 2- diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) assay method and was measured at 518nm and the percentage antioxidant activity (AA %) was then calculated.