| Abstrakt: |
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common medical condition in men with cardiovascular disorders such as ischaemic heart disease, hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases. It is also common in men with diabetes mellitus, probably because of the shared factors that impair haemodynamic mechanisms in the penile and ischaemic vasculature. In an attempt to scientifically appraise the efficacy, ethnomedical significance and contribution of Eriosema kraussianum rootstock to its Zulu folkloric use as “ uBangalala” and “Viagra substitute”, the present study was undertaken to investigate the hypoglycaemic effect of E. kraussianum rootstock hydro-alcohol extract in normoglycaemic (normal) and hyperglycaemic (diabetic) rat experimental paradigms, using glibenclamide, a ‘second-generation’ sulphonylurea, as the reference oral hypoglycaemic drug for comparison. E. kraussianum rootstock hydro-alcohol extract (EKE, 40–320 mg/kg p.o.) produced dose-dependent, significant ( P < 0.05–0.001) hypoglycaemia in the normoglycaemic and diabetic rats used. Glibenclamide (10 mg/kg p.o.) also induced marked, significant reductions ( P < 0.001) in the blood glucose concentrations of the normoglycaemic and diabetic rats used. The contribution of this hypoglycaemic activity to the folkloric use of the plant’s rootstock as a remedy for the management and/or treatment of ED among Zulu men of South Africa still remains an unresolved scientific nightmare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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