Toxicity and aphrodisiac activity of the capsules derived from the cortex of Uvaria rufa

Ma'arif, Burhan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9182-343X, Muslikh, Faisal Akhmal, Boelan, Erly G., Maulina, Novia, Azzahra, Azizah, Sawjana, Oashiva H., Aszari, Efendi H., Prameswari, Fadila A. and Taek, Maximus M. (2025) Toxicity and aphrodisiac activity of the capsules derived from the cortex of Uvaria rufa. Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research, 9 (4). pp. 1487-1491. ISSN 2616-0692

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Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is a condition characterized by disturbance in sexual function. About 12 to 51.6% of men aged 60 years and older experience decreased sexual desire and about 14.3 to 70% experience erectile dysfunction. The people ofEast Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, traditionally use the cortex of Uvaria rufaas a treatment for male sexual dysfunction. This study aimed to determine the safety of 70% ethanol extract of U. rufacortex (URCE) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and evaluate the aphrodisiac activity of capsules derived from the 70% ethanol extract of U. rufacortex (URCC).The acute toxicity was assessed by estimating the LD50 of URCE using the fixed dose method. Aphrodisiac activity was assessed by measuring Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, seminiferous tubule diameter, and testicular weight following the administration of URCC at doses of 1.34, 2.69, and 5.37 mg/20 g BW. Sildenafil at a dose of 0.13 mg/20 g BW was used as the positive control. The resultshows that URCE showed low acute toxicity in zebrafish with an LD50value of 1.582 μg/mL. Meanwhile, in the aphrodisiac activity evaluation, administration of URCC at a dose of 5.37 mg/20 g BW of mice/day was found to be the optimal dose resulting in significant increase in testicular weight, Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules. These findings therefore revealed the potential of Uvaria rufa as a safer alternative to conventional drugs for the treatment of male sexual dysfunction.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Uvaria rufa; aphrodisiac activity; sexual dysfunction; toxicity
Subjects:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > 111501 Basic Pharmacology 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > 111504 Pharmaceutical Sciences 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > 111506 Toxicology (incl. Clinical Toxicology) 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences > Department of Pharmacy
Depositing User:	Burhan Ma'arif
Date Deposited:	08 Sep 2025 14:28

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