ANTICONVULSANT STUDIES ON METHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF LAGGERAAURITA LINN.F.IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

ANTICONVULSANT STUDIES ON METHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF LAGGERAAURITA LINN.F.IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

Abstract:

LaggeraauritaLinn. belongs to the family of Asteraceae. It is an annual herb which is found growing as weeds in Nigeria and spread throughout the sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, Laggeraaurita is used asa remedy for pediatric malaria and in the management of epilepsy in Niger state, Nigeria Safiya, M, (personal communication, October 10, 2014). The study was conducted to evaluate the anticonvulsant potential of the methanol leaf extract of Laggeraaurita(LAME) using pentylenetetrazole induced seizure in mice, maximal electroshock induced seizure in chicks, picrotoxin induced seizure in mice and strychnine induced seizure in mice. Model of epilepsy involvingpentylenetetrazole induced kindling in ratsas well as interaction studieswas also conducted using fluphenamic acid and cyproheptadine. Extraction of 500g of the powdered leaves afforded a 20.4% yield. The preliminary phytochemical screening of the methanol leaf extract of Laggeraaurita revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids/terpenoids, glycosides, carbohydrates, and cardiac glycosides. The oral median lethal dose (LD50) values for both species (rats and mice) was found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg while the i.p median lethal dose values for both species also was found to be 2154.06 mg/kg. In the maximal electroshock induced seizure model, the extract did not protect the animals against tonic hind limb extension (THLE), however it decreases the mean recovery time of the convulsed chicks. In the pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure model, the extract protected the mice by delaying the mean onset of seizure at all doses tested with significant p<0.05 increase at 600 mg/kg. The extract produced protection against both strychnine and picrotoxin induced seizure in mice by delaying the mean onset of seizure in the convulsed mice at all doses but there was minimal protection against seizure seen with picrotoxin induced seizure model.In the interaction studies, co-administration of fluphenamic acid (FFA) (5 mg/kg) and the extract (600 mg/kg) showed an enhanced effect with percentage protection of 70% indicating the possible modulatory effect of the extract via sodium channel. Single intraperitoneal(i.p) dose administration of the extract (600 mg/kg), phenytoin (20 mg/kg) and cyproheptadine (4 mg/kg) offered 40%, 100% and 0% protection against tonic hind limb extension respectively, while co-administration of cyproheptadine (4 mg/kg) and the extract (600 mg/kg) as well as the co-administration of cyproheptadine (4 mg/kg) and phenytoin (20 mg/kg) offered a reduced protection of 20% and 50% protection against seizurerespectively, these also indicate theinvolvement of serotonergic and histerminergic pathways in the anticonvulsant effect of the extract. The extract at all doses tested reduced the severity of seizure episodes induced by kindling. The results suggest that the methanol leaf extract ofLaggeraaurita possessessignificant anticonvulsant effects and has antiepileptogenic property

ANTICONVULSANT STUDIES ON METHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF LAGGERAAURITA LINN.F.IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

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