Department of Pharmacognosy, Goa College of Pharmacy, Panaji, Goa University, Goa, India.
Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Mar 25;304:116064. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.116064. Epub 2022 Dec 19.
Processing cow ghee (clarified butterfat) with therapeutic herbs, i.e. ghrita, is recognized for augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of plant materials. Ashwagandha ghrita (AG) is an effective Ayurvedic formulation consisting of Indian ginseng, i.e., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, the main constituent used to treat infertility, weakness, gynaecological disorders, and general debility.
The present investigation was undertaken to corroborate the ethnopharmacological claim of AG as 'Vajikarana Rasayana' for its aphrodisiac potential using bioinformatics (in-silico) and experimental (in-vitro and in-vivo) approaches.
AG was formulated as per the methods reported in Ayurved sarsangraha. AG was further subjected to HPLC, GCMS analysis, and biological (acute toxicity and aphrodisiac) assessment per the standard procedures. Thirty-eight bioactives of Indian ginseng were subjected to computational studies (molecular docking and network pharmacology) to confirm the plausible mechanism.
AG was found to be safe up to 2000 mg/kg body wt., and it showed dose-dependent upsurge (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, wherever necessary) in mount and intromission frequency, genital grooming, and anogenital sniffing at 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight suggesting aphrodisiac activity. In-vitro studies demonstrated significant relaxation of the Corpus Cavernosal Smooth Muscle at all concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the results of molecular modelling studies were in agreement with the biological activity and showed interaction with phosphodiesterase-5 as a possible target.
AG exhibited an aphrodisiac effect and substantiated the traditional claim of Indian ginseng-based ghrita formulation as 'Vajikarana Rasayana'.
用治疗草药处理牛奶黄油（澄清乳脂），即 ghrita，被认为可以增强植物材料的治疗效果。 Ashwagandha ghrita（AG）是一种有效的阿育吠陀配方，由印度人参，即 Withania somnifera（L.） Dunal 组成，主要用于治疗不孕、虚弱、妇科疾病和一般虚弱。
本研究旨在通过生物信息学（计算机模拟）和实验（体外和体内）方法证实 AG 作为“Vajikarana Rasayana”的民族药理学声称，以证明其具有壮阳作用。
根据 Ayurved sarsangraha 中报道的方法制备 AG。AG 进一步进行 HPLC、GCMS 分析和生物（急性毒性和壮阳）评估，按照标准程序进行。对 38 种印度人参的生物活性物质进行计算研究（分子对接和网络药理学），以确认可能的机制。
AG 被发现高达 2000mg/kg 体重是安全的，并且在 150 和 300mg/kg 体重时，它显示出剂量依赖性的增加（p<0.01 和 p<0.05，在必要时）在交配和插入频率、生殖器梳理和肛交嗅探中，表明具有壮阳作用。体外研究表明，在所有浓度下， Corpus Cavernosal Smooth Muscle 均以剂量依赖性方式显着松弛。此外，分子建模研究的结果与生物学活性一致，并显示与磷酸二酯酶-5 的相互作用，这可能是一个潜在的靶点。
AG 表现出壮阳作用，证实了基于印度人参的 ghrita 配方作为“Vajikarana Rasayana”的传统说法。
