Effect of oral chronic isoflavones supplementation on male rat sexual performances and sexual hormone plasma levels.

The aim of our study was to evaluate how a chronic iso\ufb02avones oral supplementation could affect male rat sexual behavior in relationship to cause eventual change in plasma sexual hormone concentrations. Iso\ufb02avones were administered in the form of a standardized dry extract of soybeans. Three groups of 20 sexually experienced male rats were consecutively treated with saline 2 ml, or iso\ufb02avones 0.4 mg/kg 121 or 0.8 mg/kg 121 soybean dried extract via gastric tube for 40 days. No signi\ufb01cant differences were found as regards sexual performances of the three studied groups at the baseline levels nor at the end of the study: in relationship to the base-line value, only mount frequency increased in the control group (z = 122.047, p = 0.041), while intromission frequency in the high dosage iso\ufb02avones group (z = -2.484, p = 0.13). At the base-line test 23.08% of rats in each group were not able to conclude their performance in the standard time, while at the end of the study only 15.38% of the control group rats were not able to do this. No signi\ufb01cant difference has been observed as regards FSH, progesterone, androstenedione plasma levels, either between groups or between baseline and study end. Slight differences were found regards LH and testosterone plasma level