Adaptogenic activities of the Rhodiola rosea L. extract WS® 1375 in two models of stress-induced sexual dysfunction after oral administration in rats

Extracts of Rhodiola rosea L. (Crassulaceae) (Rr) are traditionally used for their antistress effects. Due to its ability to increase the resistance of an organism to environmental stress factors, Rr has been defined as an adaptogen [1]. Recently, a standardized dry extract of Rr roots (WS® 1375) was introduced as a novel medicinal product in different European countries. Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a typical response to stress and manifests itself mainly in a loss of libido. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether WS® 1375 could influence stress-induced male SD. In order to measure sexual behavior, we used two experimental designs. First, male rats were exposed once daily for 3 days to a 30 minutes interruption of the light/dark cycle (acute stress). Second, male rats were subjected to unpredictable foot shocks (chronic stress) for one hour daily over a period of 14 days. Animals were treated daily with WS® 1375 (300/450 mg/kg) or vehicle one hour before stress. For the measurement of sexual behavior males were placed for 10 minutes in a cage with two estrus synchronized females and the total numbers of mounts were counted.

Group	Number of mountings Acute	Number of mountings Chronic
Vehicle	10.5 ± 3.8	8.7 ± 0.8
Stress + Vehicle	4.6 ± 3.6*	1.5 ± 0.4*
Stress + WS®1375	12.9 ± 11.5 #	5.8 ± 0.7 #
* p < 0.01 vs. vehicle group; # p < 0.01 vs. stress-vehicle group

Daily treatment of rats with WS® 1375 prevented the acute and chronic stress-induced loss of copulating behavior. These results demonstrate that WS® 1375 has a positive effect on stress-induced sexual dysfunction in rodents.

Keywords: Rhodiola rosea, WS® 1375, sexual dysfunction, stress, rats

References:

Panossian & Wagner. Phytother Res 2005; 19: 819 – 838