Aphrodisiac effects of Panax ginseng extract standardized with ginsenoside Rg3 in male rats Mosaad A. Abdel-Wahhab * Food Toxicology & Contaminants Dept., National Research center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Olivier Joubert Faculty of Pharmacy, Lorraine University, EA 3452 CITHEFOR, Nancy Cedex, 54001, France. Aziza A. El-Nekeety Food Toxicology & Contaminants Dept., National Research center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Myung H. Park Ambo Institute, Seoul, South Korea. Won J. Yoon Lotte R & D Center, Lotte Group, Seoul, 150-964, South Korea. Yong T. Kim Lotte R & D Center, Lotte Group, Seoul, 150-964, South Korea. Bertrand H. Rihn Faculty of Pharmacy, Lorraine University, EA 3452 CITHEFOR, Nancy Cedex, 54001, France. *Corresponding author: mosaad_abdelwahhab@yahoo.com Keywords Abstract Panax ginseng Sildenafil citrate Sex behavior Sexual disorders In traditional medicine, Panax ginseng has been used to treat various behavioral effects. However, a little is known about the effect of ginsenoside Rg3, the most ingredients in panax ginseng, on male copulatory and sexual behavior. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of panax ginseng extract standardized with ginsenoside Rg3 (PGRg3) on general mating behaviour, libido, potency and the adverse effects in normal male Sprague-Dawley rats. Four tests were carried out to evaluate different sexual parameters. Male rats were divided into different groups in each test and treated with different doses of PGRg3 (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w.) and Sildenafil citrate (5 mg/kg b.w). Female rats with oestrus phase were used to analyze the mating behavior.The results indicated that PGRg3 significantly increased mounting frequency, intromission frequency, ejaculatory latency in the first and second series, erection, quick flips, long flips and aggregate of penile reflexes. Whereas, it significantly decreases mounting latency, intromission latency and post ejaculatory intervals in dose dependent manner. Moreover, PGRg3 was found to be devoid of any conspicuous gastric ulceration and any other adverse effects. PGRg3 extract at the higher dose (500 mg/kg b.w.) was comparable to the standards drug Sildenafil citrate with regards to all the tested parameters. It could be concluded that PGRg3 extract produced a significant and sustained increase in the sexual activity of normal male rats without any conspicuous gastric ulceration and adverse effects. The most important conclusion is that the resultant aphrodisiac effectively of PGRg3 extract lends support to the claims for its traditional usage in sexual disorders. 1. Introduction Sexual dysfunction and/or erectile dysfunction (ED) are major challenges for an individual’s subjective well-being. It is a common problem with increase in prevalence and etiological factors, including degenerative diseases, increase in injuries and stress associated with industrialized lifestyles [1]. Clinically, ED is defined as the persistent inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance [2] and it is a medical problem affecting young as well as old men. The incidence of ED increases with age, reaching 20-40% in men 60-69 yr of age and 50-100% in men in their 70s and 80s, depending on the differing definitions of ED in various studies [3]. Beyond the aging process, other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and dyslipidemia have been shown to be significantly associated with ED [4][5]. Although a number of treatments became available in the last two decades, problems with costs, efficacy, safety and ease to administer were experienced [6]. These treatments ranged from herbal remedies used by native healers, mostly in the Eastern countries, to the more sophisticated designer drugs, which are based on a better understanding of the physiological mechanism of erection [2]. Dietary supplement use has experienced tremendous growth in the past years [7]. Supplements are becoming more important and more commonly used by consumers in their personal healthcare regimens [8] [9]. Numerous products are currently promoted for enhancing erectile function and sexual performance in men and are marketed with the implied assumption that they are safe and natural. Yet reports of adulteration for products in this category abound. Adulterants found in dietary supplements include, but aren’t limited to, active pharmaceutical ingredients such as the PDE-5 inhibitors sildenafil (Viagra®), vardenafil (Levitra®), tadalafil (Cialis®) and, in an attempt to avoid detection, the unapproved analogues of these drugs [10][11][12][13][14][[15][16]. In recent years, several studies report the benefits of functional food and herbal ingredients such as Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer in the treatment of ED [17] [18]. For 2,000 years Panax ginseng has had a rich medicinal history [19]. Practitioners of Chinese medicine use it as a tonic and restorative to promote health and longevity [20]. It has been prescribed to improve stamina, concentration, stress resistance, and work efficiency General Health and Medical Sciences, Vol(1), No (1), October, 2014. pp. 3-8 TI Journals General Health and Medical Sciences www.tijournals.com ISSN: xxxx-xxxx Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved for TI Journals.