Male sexual enhancers from the Peruvian Amazon

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 229, 30 January 2019, Pages 167-179 Journal of Ethnopharmacology Author links open overlay panelGuillermoSchmeda-HirschmannabAlbertoBurgos-EdwardsaCristinaTheodulozbcFelipeJiménez-AspeebdeGabrielVargas-Aranaf a Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Instituto de Química de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile b Programa de Investigación de Excelencia Interdisciplinaria en Química y Bio-orgánica de Recursos Naturales (PIEI-QUIM-BIO), Universidad de Talca, Chile c Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile d Departamento de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile e Núcleo Científico Multidisciplinario, Dirección de Investigación, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile f Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana - IIAP, Head, Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Peru Received 11 July 2018, Revised 2 October 2018, Accepted 5 October 2018, Available online 16 October 2018. crossmark-logo Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.10.007Get rights and content Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Selected Peruvian Amazon plants are macerated into sugar cane distillates to prepare alcoholic beverages used to improve male sexual performance. The tree bark from Campsiandra angustifolia Spruce ex Benth (Fabaceae), Swartzia polyphylla DC (Fabaceae), Minquartia guianensis Aubl. (Olacaceae) and Thynantus panurensis (Bureau) Sandwith (Bignoniaceae) usually are used as crude drugs in mixtures of several ingredients. Aim of study Describe the chemical composition of the most traded traditional male enhancer beverages, namely “Levántate Lazaro” and “Siete veces sin sacarla”, and their single crude drug constituents, as well as their inhibitory activity towards the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5. The presence of pro-sexual drugs such as Sildenafil® and derivatives was assessed in the samples. Materials and methods Single plant constituents and the preparation mixtures were purchased in the Mercado Belen (Iquitos, Peru). Chemical profiling was carried out by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. The extracts were assessed for phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition. The occurrence of pro-sexual drugs was determined by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. Results Chemical profiling allowed the identification of condensed tannins as the main constituents of C. angustifolia and S. polyphylla, hydrolysable tannins for M. guianensis, and C-glycosides for T. panurensis. The traditional preparations showed similar composition compared to the crude drugs. At 200 µg/mL, the traditional preparation “Levántate Lázaro” and “Siete veces sin sacarla” inhibited the phosphodiesterase-5 by 49.88% and 27.90%, respectively. No adulterations with pro-sexual drugs were found in the samples. From the crude drugs, low effect was found for the extracts of S. polyphylla and T. panurensis and high activity for C. angustifolia which inhibited the enzyme by 89.37% and 81.32% at 200 and 100 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusion The traditional preparations used to improve sexual performance in the Peruvian Amazon showed activity as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. The most active ingredient of the traditional preparations was C. angustifolia, with some contribution from T. panurensis. These results encourage additional studies, including animal models to confirm the male enhancer effect of the preparations. Graphical abstract fx1 Download high-res image (420KB)Download full-size image Previous article in issueNext article in issue Abbreviations Ca:Campsiandra angustifoliaHHDPhexahydroxydiphenic acidHPLC-DAD-MShigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and mass spectrometryLLLevántate LázaroMg:Minquartia guianensisPDE-5phosphodiesterase-5Sp:Swartzia polyphyllaSVSSsiete veces sin sacarlaTICTotal ion chromatogramTp:Tynanthus panurensis Keywords Amazonian male sexual enhancersPhosphodiesterase-5Campsiandra angustifoliaPhenolicsHPLC-MS/MS analysis © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.