Dose-dependent effects of Asparagus adscendens root (AARR) extract on the anabolic, reproductive, and sexual behavioral activity in rats

Figures & data

Table 1. Effects of ethanol extract of Asparagus adscendens Roxb. roots on the body and reproductive organ weights in adult male rats.

		Body weight	Reproductive organ weights (g)
Treatment		(g)	Testis	Epididymis	V. Prostate	Seminal vesicles	Vas deferens	Penis
Control	–	211.7 ± 3.4	1.153 ± 0.03	0.439 ± 0.012	0.464 ± 0.019	1.453 ± 0.05	0.108 ± 0.005	0.330 ± 0.032
AARR-treated:
(100 mg/kg)	–	214.2 ± 3.6^NS	1.164 ± 0.025^NS	0.474 ± 0.019^NS	0.493 ± 0.005^NS	1.490 ± 0.02^NS	0.113 ± 0.010^NS	0.357 ± 0.006^NS
(200 mg/kg)	–	228.3 ± 7.2^B	1.264 ± 0.025^C	0.484 ± 0.012^C	0.499 ± 0.004^A	1.549 ± 0.02^A	0.111 ± 0.011^NS	0.357 ± 0.005^NS
(300 mg/kg)	–	232.1 ± 4.2^E	1.282 ± 0.02^E	0.488 ± 0.01^D	0.498 ± 0.001^A	1.560 ± 0.03^A	0.123 ± 0.0035^B	0.367 ± 0.005^NS

Values expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 10 number of animals for body weights and n = 5 number of animals for organ weights. Significance of difference control versus treated. (A) p < 0.05, (B) p < 0.02, (C) p < 0.01, (D) p < 0.005, (E) p < 0.001. NS, not significant.

Figure 1. Testis histology of control (A) and Asparagus adscendens root extract treated rats at 100 (B), 200 (C), and 300 (D) mg/kg doses for 30 d. A, spermatogonia; P, pachytene spermatocytes; R, round spermatids; E, elongated spermatids; LC, Leydig cells; SC, Sertoli cells. Note the increased density of round and elongated spermatids in treated rats with 200 mg/kg (C) and 300 mg/kg (D) dose level. Magnification: ×1000 (under oil immersion); H–E staining.

Figure 2. Cauda epididymal cross sections from control (A) and Asparagus adscendens root extract treated rats with 100 (B), 200 (C), and 300 (D) mg/kg doses for 30 d. Note the increased sperm density in tubular lumen at 200 (C) and 300 (D) mg/kg than in 100 mg/kg (B) and control (A) rats. EP, epididymal epithelium; ES, epididymal stroma; S, luminal sperms. Magnification: ×1000 (under oil immersion); H–E staining.

Figure 3. Effects of Asparagus adscendens Roxb root extract on testicular daily sperm production/g of testicular parenchyma and cauda epididymal sperm counts (×106)/ml.

Table 2. Effect of Asapragus adscendens Roxb. roots extract on testicular germ cell population dynamics, tubular diameter and nuclear diameter of Leydig cells in rats.

Treatment	Germ cells per Sertoli cell ratio
Group	(A)	(NP)	(P)	(R)	(E)	Sertoli cells/tubule	Tubular diameter (µm)	Nuclear diameter of Leydig cells (µm)
Control	0.26 ± 0.02	1.51 ± 0.15	1.79 ± 0.05	3.88 ± 0.2	6.15 ± 0.33	16.1 ± 1.4	475.25 ± 8.8	11.9 ± 2.5
AARR-treated-
(100 mg/kg)	0.26 ± 0.03^NS	1.33 ± 0.22^NS	1.5 ± 0.26^NS	3.74 ± 2.1^NS	5.7 ± 0.26^NS	15.9 ± 0.6^NS	478.07 ± 13.9^NS	11.1 ± 1.2^NS
(200 mg/kg)	0.27 ± 0.03^NS	1.45 ± 0.26^NS	1.66 ± 0.25^NS	4.6 ± 0.15^D	7.12 ± 0.24^A	17.0 ± 2.4^NS	516.55 ± 8.5^C	14.3 ± 1.5^NS
(300 mg/kg)	0.31 ± 0.02^NS	1.73 ± 0.16^NS	1.99 ± 0.13^NS	5.3 ± 0.26^D	9.33 ± 0.24^B	16.5 ± 1.5^NS	532.6 ± 10.2^D	15.7 ± 0.7^NS

Values are expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 5 number of animals. Significance control versus treated. NS, not significant. (A) p < 0.02, (B) p < 0.01, (C) p < 0.005, (D) p < 0.001.

Table 3. Effects of 50% ethanol extract of Asparagus adscendens Roxb. roots on the sexual behavioral performance of male Sprague–Dawley rats.

	Sexual behavioral parameters
Treatment/groups	MF	IF	ML	IL	EL	PEI	S. Plug wt	Hit rate
Control	11.2 ± 0.66	8.2 ± 1.16	22.6 ± 0.24	31.4 ± 0.51	180.0 ± 3.47	196.6 ± 3.65	0.1695 ± 0.0215	0.4145 ± 0.024
AARR (100 mg)	11.4 ± 0.60^NS	6.4 ± 0.93^NS	24.2 ± 0.37^D	30.2 ± 0.2^NS	184.0 ± 9.26^NS	204.0 ± 2.09^NS	0.1664 ± 0.017^NS	0.356 ± 0.039^NS
AARR (200 mg)	13.0 ± 0.32^A	11.8 ± 0.37^C	16.4 ± 2.45^B	22.4 ± 2.29^D	187.4 ± 1.91^A	195.6 ± 3.41^NS	0.1785 ± 0.021^NS	0.456 ± 0.004^NS
AARR (300 mg)	18.2 ± 2.12^C	14.8 ± 1.15^E	12.0 ± 0.32^E	13.2 ± 1.24^E	191.4 ± 1.72^C	124.2 ± 9.82^E	0.2385 ± 0.029^A	0.454 ± 0.042^NS
Sildenafil citrate (5 mg/kg)	25.2 ± 2.2^E	20.2 ± 0.82^E	10.5 ± 1.5^E	13.5 ± 1.2^E	250.5 ± 4.5^E	80.0 ± 5.7^E	0.4469 ± 0.29^NS	0.2010 ± 0.01^NS

Values expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 6. Significance, control versus treated. (A) p < 0.05, (B) p < 0.02, (C) p < 0.01, (D) p < 0.005, (E) p < 0.001.

MF, mounting frequency; IF, intromission frequency; ML, mounting latency (in seconds); IL, intromission latency (in seconds); EL, ejaculatory latency (in seconds); PEI, post-ejaculatory interval time (in seconds); NS, not significant.

Table 4. Effects of Aspragus adscendens Roxb. roots extract on penile reflexes (test for potency) in male rats.

Treatment	Quick Flip	Long Flip	Total Flips	Erections
Control	4.5 ± 0.4	3.2 ± 0.3	8.7 ± 0.7	8.5 ± 0.2
AARR-treated
(100 mg/kg)	4.4 ± 0.3^NS	3.2 ± 0.2^NS	7.6 ± 0.5^NS	9.2 ± 1.2^NS
(200 mg/kg)	5.8 ± 0.2•	3.8 ± 0.3^NS	9.6 ± 0.5^NS	13.5 ± 0.3•••
(300 mg/kg)	8.0 ± 0.3•••	6.5 ± 0.2•••	14.5 ± 0.5•••	14.5 ± 0.5•••
Sildenafil
Citrate (5 mg/kg)	11.2 ± 2.2••	9.8 ± 1.8•••	21.0 ± 4.0•••	16.5 ± 1.5•••

Values expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 6 number of animals. Significance between control versus treated. NS, not significant. •p < 0.01, ••p < 0.005, •••p < 0.001.