Study of the effect of the ethyl acetate extract of Celtis iguanaea on the contraction of the
ductus deferens in mice.
Herbal medicines; Celtis iguanaea; Premature ejaculation; Vas deferens;
Muscle contraction; Nifepidine.
Premature ejaculation (PE) is a sexual dysfunction that affects a large proportion of the
male population worldwide and the available treatments cause various side effects.
Medicinal plants have been used because they play an important role in human health
and Celtis iguanaea (CI) has a gastroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect, but its
effect on the vas deferens (DD) has not yet been demonstrated. The aim of this study
was to see if this species relaxes the DD, as well as trying to elucidate its mechanism of
action. The effect of increasing doses of IC, in the presence and absence of nifedipine,
was tested on the contraction of the DD of mice, stimulated by potassium chloride
(KCl) or adrenaline. The experiments were carried out in an organ bath system, where
the contraction was recorded using PowerLab hardware and analyzed using LabChart
software. The responses were measured considering the contraction amplitudes of each
component. The IC effect was analyzed by the IC50 (negative logarithm of the drug
concentration that produces 50% of the maximum inhibitory effect). Celtis iguanaea
showed an inhibitory effect on both the phasic and tonic components of the contraction
induced by KCl and adrenaline, with the tonic component being statistically more
sensitive to the action of IC. The effect of IC on the phasic and tonic components in the
presence of nifedipine, a classic calcium channel blocker, was potentiated when the
contraction was induced by KCl. In adrenaline-induced contraction, the inhibitory effect
on the phasic and tonic components in the presence of nifedipine was maintained. These
results indicate that CI is capable of inhibiting some mechanism involved in DD
contraction signaling. These findings demonstrate the effect of Celtis iguanaea and
contribute to elucidating its mechanism of action and its possible use in the treatment of
premature ejaculation.