Posted 03 September 2012 - 06:55 PM
I think any potential effect of resveratrol on libido isn't through an effect on hormones but rather through its antidepressant effect. In my one brief experiment with high dose resveratrol it felt like an antidepressant to me, and it had the same effect on sex drive as an SSRI.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Jun 2;344(2):688-95. Epub 2006 Apr 17.
Inhibitory effects of cis- and trans-resveratrol on noradrenaline and
5-hydroxytryptamine uptake and on monoamine oxidase activity.
Yáñez M, Fraiz N, Cano E, Orallo F.
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de
Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (La Coruña), Spain.
This study investigated for the first time the potential effects of cis- and
trans-resveratrol (c-RESV and t-RESV) on noradrenaline (NA) and
5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake by synaptosomes from rat brain, on 5-HT uptake
by human platelets, and on monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoform activity. Both c-RESV
and t-RESV (5-200 microM) concentration-dependently inhibited the uptake of
[3H]NA and [3H]5-HT by synaptosomes from rat brain and the uptake of [3H]5-HT by
human platelets. In both experimental models, t-RESV was slightly more efficient
than c-RESV. Furthermore, in synaptosomes from rat brain, the RESV isomers were
less selective against [3H]5-HT uptake than the reference drug fluoxetine (0.1-30
microM). On the other hand, both c-RESV and t-RESV (5-200 microM)
concentration-dependently inhibited the enzymatic activity of commercial (human
recombinant) MAO isoform (MAO-A and MAO-B) activity, c-RESV being slightly less
effective than t-RESV. In addition, both RESV isomers were slight but
significantly more selective against MAO-A than against MAO-B. Since the
principal groups of drugs used in the treatment of depressive disorders are
NA/5-HT uptake or MAO inhibitors, under the assumption that the RESV isomers
exhibit a similar behaviour in humans in vivo, our results suggest that these
natural polyphenols may be of value as structural templates for the design and
development of new antidepressant drugs with two important biochemical activities
combined in the same chemical structure: NA/5-HT uptake and MAO inhibitory
activity.
PMID: 16631124 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]