STUDIES ON THE NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF FICUS PLATYPHYLLA STEM BARK.

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STUDIES ON THE NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF FICUS PLATYPHYLLA STEM BARK.

Abstract: 

Ficus platyphylla Del.-Holl (Moraceae) is a deciduous plant found mainly in the Savanna regions of West Africa. The plant is used traditionally in Northern Nigeria to treat depression and persons possessed by spirits (bori, ciwon inna or iska). A few reports (oral communication) suggest that the stem bark may contain some analgesic and sedative principles. The effects of the methanolic extract of Ficus platyphylla stem bark were studied on locomotor activity, pentobarbitone sleeping time, amphetamine induced hyperactivity and stereototyped behaviour, apomorphine induced stereotyped behaviour, catalepsy, pain, inflammation, electroshock and pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in chicks, mice and rats. The LC50 and intraperitoneal LD50 of the extract were found to be 113.7µg/ml and greater than 2000mg/kg in brine shrimp and mice lethality studies respectively. The extract significantly exhibited a dose and time dependent decreased in spontaneous motor activity (SMA) and antagonised amphetamine induced stereotyped behaviour in mice. The extract exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity in a dose related maimer and significantly reduced the total mobile, static and rearing counts as well as the active and mobile times dose and time dependently. It also attenuated amphetamine induced hyperactivity, prolonged the duration of pentobarbitone induced sleep in rats, reduced the incidence of pentylenetetrazole induced seizures and protected the mice against tonic hind limb extension and death, but did not protect the chicks against electroshock seizure. The extract significantly attenuated apomorphine induced stereotyped behavioural patterns and acetic acid induced pain in a dose and time related manner. The extract induced a significant cataleptogenic effect and exacerbated haloperidol induced catalepsy. The results suggest the presence of pharmacologically active principles in the extract of Ficus platyphylla with profound sedative activity. The data provide scientific evidence for the use of the plant in traditional medicine for psychotic states (since there is evidence that the active principles exhibited properties that were similar to clinically useful drugs against laboratory models of psychoses)

STUDIES ON THE NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF FICUS PLATYPHYLLA STEM BARK.

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