Evaluation of the cytotoxicity of an Ivorian aphrodisiac of natural origin

In Cote d'Ivoire, the market of aphrodisiacs of natural origin has been significantly growing over the last decades. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the most employed by Ivorian men, called Aphro. For that, Caco-2/TC7 enterocytes and Vero ATCC cells kidney epithelial cells grown in DMEM medium were exposed to Aphro at concentrations ranging from 216 to 864 µg/mL. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released upon cell death was assayed after 1, 2 and 24h of exposure. In parallel, the effect of Apho was evaluated in differentiated confluent cells by measurements of the trans-epithelial electrical resistance. A time course and significant dose response related increase of LDH was measured in the culture medium of Caco-2/TC7 and Vero ATCC cells exposed to the aphrodisiac. The trans-epithelial electrical resistance of the Caco-2/TC7 cell monolayers also showed a significant decrease from 1400 Ω*cm2 at the onset of the experiment to 450 Ω*cm2 after 24 h of treatment. Cell detachment and structural disorganization were observed in both cell lines. This study reveals the strong cytotoxicity of Aphro extract on both cell lines.