Aphrodisiac Activity of the Aqueous Crude Extract of Purple Corn ( Zea mays) in Male Rats

Abstract

In the present study, the aphrodisiac properties of the purple corn ( Zea mays) in male rats were analyzed. The aqueous crude extract of purple corn (at 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) was administered to ( a) copulating male rats and ( b) anesthetized and spinal cord transected male rats. Behavioral parameters of copulatory behavior and parameters of the genital motor pattern of ejaculation previous to its inhibition, under the influence of the purple corn extract, are described. Administration of the aqueous crude extract of purple corn significantly facilitates the arousal and execution of male rat sexual behavior without significant influences on the ambulatory behavior. In addition, purple corn extract elicit a significant increase in the number of discharges of the ejaculatory motor patterns and in the total number of genital motor patterns evoked in spinal rats. The present findings show that the aqueous crude extract of purple corn possesses aphrodisiac activity.

Keywords: aphrodisiac; copulatory behavior; ejaculation; medicinal plant; purple corn.

Figure 1.

Sexual behavior parameters of male rats treated with 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg of the purple corn extract. Latencies are expressed as mean ± SEM and numbers as medians. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance followed by Tukey’ test versus Control; *P < .05 for latency to intromission, intromissions, latency of ejaculation, and for postejaculatory interval.

Figure 2.

Facilitation of the genital motor pattern of ejaculation in rats under the influence of the purple corn extract, administered at different doses (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg). Electromyographic polygraphic traces obtained after urethral stimulation (a) and after the systemic injection of purple corn extract at the doses of 25 (b), 50 (c), and 75 mg/kg (d), respectively. Calibration bar 10 seconds.

Figure 3.

Specific parameters of genital motor patterns of ejaculation registered in the bulbospongiosus muscle under the influence of purple corn extract at different doses (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg). One-way analysis of variance followed by Holm-Sidak test versus Control. *P < .05.