Effect of aerial part and root extracts from Ferula orientalis L. growing in Turkey on erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin-ınduced diabetic rats

Abstract

Ferula L. belongs to Apiaceae family and 22 species of this genus grow in Turkey, of which 13 are endemic and this genus is found to be a rich resource of gum-resin. Ferula species are known in various regions of Turkey as “çakşır, çakşırotu, helizan, çağşır, kıngor, çağ etc. ”. F. orientalis is known as “heliz” in Turkey and has been utilised as carminative, sedative, antispasmodic, laxative, digestive, expectorant, diuretic, aphrodisiac, antiseptic, anthelminitic, analgesic and stimulants. The purpose of this study is to indicate in vitro the relaxant effect of F. orientalis extracts on corpus cavernosum (CC). Total of 16 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were levelly divided down the middle control and diabetic ingroups. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneial injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg). The relaxation responses to acetylcholine (ACh, 1 mM), electrical field stimulation (EFS, 10Hz) sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 0.1 μM) of corpus cavernosum (CC) strips were studied after the incubation with the aerial parts and roots in organ baths. The extracts were active in both groups. It was found that root extracts yielded 98.12% relaxation. Among the extracts of roots indicated the best activity. In other respects, aerial part extracts demonstrated the worst activity. Depending upon this findings, the roots of this species deserve further in vivo assessments for its aphrodisiac potential.