Locomotor activity of leaf extracts of pithecellobium dulce benth
| Title | Locomotor activity of leaf extracts of pithecellobium dulce benth |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2008 |
| Authors | Sugumaran, M, Vetrichelvan T, darline Quine S |
| Journal Title | Ethanobotanical leaflet |
| Volume | 12 |
| Pages | 490-493 |
| Start Page | 490 |
| Journal Date | July 13 |
| Full Text | Locomotor Activity of Leaf extracts of Pithecellobium dulce Benth. M. Sugumaran1 , T.Vetrichelvan1, S. Darline Quine2 1Adhiparasakthi College of Pharmacy, Melmaruvathur –603319, TN, India 2Department of Chemistry, SASTRA University, Thanjavur-147002, TN, India Issued 13 July 2008 Abstract Introduction Pithecellobium dulce Benth. (Leguminosae)[1] is a small to medium sized, evergreen, spiny tree up to 18 m height, native of tropical America and cultivated throughout the plains of India and in the Andamans. It is known as Vilayati babul in Hindi and Kodukkapuli in Tamil. The bark of the plant is reported to be used as astringent in dysentery, febrifuge and it is also useful in dermatitis and eye inflammation. The leaves have been reported to possess astringent, emollient, abortifiacient and antidiabetic properties. A steroid saponin, lipids, phospholipids, glycosides, glycolipids and polysaccharides have been reported from the seeds[2-5]. The bark contains 37% of tannins of catechol type. Quericitin, kaempferol, dulcitol and afezilin have been reported from the leaves[6,7]. Roots have been reported to possess estrogenic activity [8]. Studies on alkylated resins from seed oil have been reported recently [9]. The present investigation was undertaken to study the CNS depressant activity of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of this plant in mice by using actophotometer and compared with that of chlorpromazine, a standard antidepressant agent. Materials and Methods Pithecellobium dulce fresh leaves were collected from Sembulam Village at kancheepuram Dist.( Tamilnadu state , India) in the month of January 2005. The plant was identified by local people of that village and authenticated by Dr. P. Jayaraman, Director, plant anatomy research centre (PARC), chennai. A herbarium specimen of the plant was preserved (APCP-3/2005) in the Department of pharmacognosy of our Institute for further reference. Animals Adult swiss albino mice (25-30g) of either sex maintained under standard condition (temperature: 23° ± 2°C, relative humidity: 55 ± 10% and 12 hr light and dark place) was used for the experiment comprising of six mice in each group. The animals were allowed standard laboratory feed and water ad libitium. Ethical clearance for performing the experiments on animals was obtained (Reg. No.409/ 2001/CPCSEA, India) from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC), adhiparasakthi college of pharmacy, Melmaruvathur. Preparation of Aqueous and Alcoholic Extracts The fresh leaves of P. dulce were washed with water, air- dried at room temperature and then reduced to coarse powder. The powdered mass of leaf was defatted with petroleum ether (60-80 c) followed by extraction with alcohol (95% v/v) and water. The extracts were filtered and the filtrates were concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain the extracts as solid residues. The freshly prepared extracts were chemically tested for the presence of different constituents using standard methods [10]. Gross Behavioural and Toxicity Studies Screening of CNS Depressant Activity Statistical Analysis Results and Discussion The fresh aqueous and alcoholic extract of P. dulce gave positive chemical reactions for glycosides, saponins, proteins, amino acids and flavonoids etc. No toxic symptoms were observed for the drug up to of 2000mg/kg body weight. So the dose of 100mg/kg was arbitrarily selected based on this toxicity study. It was found that, both extracts significantly depressed ( Table 1) the locomotor activity at the tested dose level in mice. The activity was found to be maximum for alcoholic extract and minimum for aqueous extract. Further the activity of alcoholic extract was more when compared with chlorpromazine, a standard CNS depressant agent. Table 1. Locomotor activity of leaf extracts of Pithecellobium dulce Benth. Group Dose (mg/kg) (10 min) Before treatment Chlopromazine Alcoholic extract Aqueous extract Values are expressed as a mean ±SEM ; P*<0.05 vs control; n=6 Both extracts produced reduction in spontaneous motor activity, and this effect may be attributed to central nervous system depression, as depression of locomotor activity is common to most neuroleptics. The better CNS depressant activity of the alcoholic extract of P. dulce may be due to increase in the concentration of GABA in brain [14].Further studies on the exact chemical constituent responsible for CNS depressant activity is under investigation in our lab. Acknowledgement The authors are thankful to Arulthiru Bangaru Adigalar, President and Thirumathi V. Lakshmi bangaru Adigalar, Vice president, Adhiparasakthi College of Pharmacy, Melmaruvathur for providing necessary lab facilities to carry out this research work. References |