Effects of ethanolic extract of the Cleome arabica on sexual behavior in Wistar rats

Abstract

Traditional medicinal plants are widely used as immunomodulatory medicines that help improve health. A total of 50 plants used for the treatment of toxicity were screened for their protective effects. Traditional medicinal are globally used and have rapidly grown in economic importance. Intrinsically active compounds are well-known for their antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory activities. The study was conducted to investigate the effects of the ethanolic extract of C. arabica leaves on sexual behavior in Wistar rats. C. arabica, a medicinal plant with a foul odor, toxic, and has hallucinogenic effects. The experimental study was carried out on white rats (male and female) of the Wistar strain from the Pasteur Institute of Algiers (Kouba, Algeria), weighing between 150 and 200g sexually naive. The animals were raised in polyethylene cages and divided into two groups (n = 10 rats/group), which received a saline solution (male and female control group), 0.20µg/ml of the ethanolic extract of C. arabica leaves for seven days orally (male and female treated group). The sexual behavior test was performed according to three types of crossing. The results of the treated groups showed a significant increase in mating frequency compared to the control group. Overall, the results showed that C. arabica significantly affects sexual behavior. The ethanolic extract of C. arabica increased sexual behavior and orientation activity performance recorded in the treated animals. Thus, this study found that C. arabica has a significant effect on the rats' sexual behavior.