Diabetes impairs male sexual behaviour: Ameliorative role of ethanol leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia and its antihyperlipidemic activity

The use of alternative medicinal approaches in the management of diabetes-associated reproductive dysfunction has become imperative, hence, this study was designed to evaluate the ameliorative potential of Alchornea cordifolia in diabetic-induced sexual behavioural dysfunction and its antidyslipidemic activity.Twenty-five male diabetic rats were divided into five groups of five rats each.Group I received distilled water, Groups II and III received 100 and 200 mg/kg of the extract, respectively, Group IV received 5 mg/kg metformin sulfate and Group V was diabetic but received no treatments.Treatment was done daily by oral gavage for 28 days.Hypoglycemic activity, lipid profiles, and sexual behaviors such as mount and intromission frequencies, mount, intromission and ejaculation latencies, and post-ejaculation interval were evaluated according to standard procedures.The results showed significantly reduced plasma glucose concentrations in extract exposed groups and the standard antidiabetic group (127.6 ± 3.33 b, , 118 ± 10.15 b , and 114.6 ± 11.74 b ) compared to the diabetic untreated group (270.6 ± 82.64).Again, there was a significant reduction in total serum cholesterol concentration (99.93 ± 5.19**) in the 200 mg/kg extract compared to the diabetic untreated group (130.8 ± 6.76), lipid profiles with elevated mount and intromission frequencies and ejaculation latency.Reductions in mount and intromission latencies were also recorded in extract-exposed groups.The findings showed that the extract possessed antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activities and could enhance sexual performance and increase sexual satisfaction in animals.Therefore, the treatment of diabetic male Wistar rats with the extract, ameliorated reproductive damage induced by diabetes and improved sexual behaviors in those animals.