oxytocin and Spinal-Cord-Injuries

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Bersama engleriana and its potential mechanism on fictive ejaculation in spinal male rats. The electromyographic activities of the bulbospongiosus muscles were recorded in spinal cord transected and urethane-anesthetized rats treated intravenously with aqueous (100 mg kg(-1)) and methanolic (100 mg kg(-1)) extracts from the dried leaves of B. engleriana in the absence and presence of dopamine (0.1 micromol kg(-1)) or oxytocin (0.5 UI kg(-1)). Mechanical stimulations of the urethra were also carried out 5 min after the sequential treatments. A single intravenous administration of aqueous (100 mg kg(-1)) and methanolic (100 mg kg(-1)) extracts of B. engleriana did not activate fictive ejaculation. The electromyography recorded after the application of the plant extract was similar to that obtained after intravenous saline injection (200 Gl min(-1)) with no contraction of the bulbospongiosus muscles. Dopamine (0.1 micromol kg(-1)) and oxytocin (0.5 UI kg(-1)) induced rapid rhythmic contractions (P < 0.001) of the bulbospongiosus muscles accompanied by penile erection and sometimes with expulsion of the seminal plugs. Pre-treatment of rats with the two plant extracts completely abolished the occurrence of ejaculation induced by dopamine (0.1 micromol kg(-1)) and oxytocin (0.5 UI kg(-1)). Mechanical stimulation of the urethra carried out 5 min after the sequential treatments always induced penile movements and erections. The inhibitory effect of B. engleriana extracts on the expression of fictive ejaculation in spinal male rat is mediated through dopaminergic and oxytocinergic pathways. This prolonged ejaculatory latency caused by B. engleriana could support its potential use in patients with rapid ejaculation.

Topics: Animals; Dopamine; Ejaculation; Electromyography; Magnoliopsida; Male; Oxytocin; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Spinal Cord Injuries

Although an increasing number of women are becoming pregnant and rearing children after spinal cord injury (SCI), scant literature exists on breastfeeding after injury. In particular, it is unclear whether women with SCI above T7 can sustain breastfeeding in a manner similar to neurologically intact nursing mothers. A functional let-down reflex is required to provide adequate milk to a nursing infant. Infant suckling activates tactile receptors in the breast, and this signal is carried via afferent nerves in the T4-6 dorsal roots to the spinal cord and then to neurons in the hypothalamus, which release oxytocin into the bloodstream. Oxytocin triggers milk ejection from the breast. Suckling-induced afferent stimuli are absent in women with SCI above T4 and are reduced if the injury is between T4 and T6. This report describes the breastfeeding practices of 3 tetraplegic women and shows that breastfeeding can be maintained for extended periods (12-54 wk) after delivery. Two women required active mental imaging and relaxation techniques, or oxytocin nasal spray, to facilitate the let-down reflex. These findings suggest that although an absence of suckling-induced afferent stimuli may impair the let-down reflex, long-term breastfeeding can be maintained.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Breast Feeding; Female; Humans; Imagination; Infant, Newborn; Milk Ejection; Oxytocin; Quadriplegia; Relaxation Therapy; Spinal Cord Injuries