ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Kindling can increase anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Oxidative stress has an important role in arousing anxiety. It is known that Matricaria Recutita has an antioxidant effect. Thus, the present study aimed at assessing the effects of this plant's extract. on anxiety-like behavior induced by kindling in rats
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 male Wistar Albino rats [wt:200-250 g] were randomly divided into 4 equal groups; namely control [intact], kindling, diazepam [2 mg/kg], and aqueous extract of Matricaria Recutita [30 mg/kg] intrapertoneally. Kindling was done by a sub-convulsive dose of pentylenetetrazole [PTZ; 40 mg/kg, i.p.] in the remainder. Groups. Kindling parameters in all these animals were evaluated by a plus elevated maze. The percent of time spent in the open arms of maze [OAT %] and percent of entries in the open arms [OAE %] were accounted for anxiety evaluation. Increase in OAT % and OAE % indicated an anxiolytic effect. Finally, the obtained data was analyzed by means of Any-Maze software and P<0.05 was taken as the significant level
Results: Kindling significantly [P<0.05] increased anxiety response in rats for at least 24h following the last seizure [decrease in OAT % and OAE %]. Administeration of diazepam and Matricaria Recutita induced a significant increase in OAT % and OAE %, thereby. Displaying a decrease in the anxiety in the kindled rats [P<0.05]. Activity rate of the animals increased in the extract-treated group
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that Matricaria Recutita was able to improve elevated levels of anxiety in kindled rats. Therefore, further works are needed to elucidate the extent and mechanism of these effects
ABSTRACT
Epilepsy originates from brain function disorders that might appear in the forms of overt disorders or fainting [losing consciousness], abnormal motional activities, behavioral abnormalities and sensational impairment and/or disorders in autonomic performance; all these symptoms are observable in early sleeping stages. Epilepsy is one of the most common neural disorders in human beings and with regard to the conducted studies, the Melissa officinalis plant has been used to treat epilepsy disease. Therefore, in this empirical work the effect of pretreatment with hydro-alcoholic extract of this plant compared to Phenytoin in the prevention of the epileptic convulsions caused by Pentylenetetrazole was studied. In this research the following groups receive the following drug doses intraperitoneal: four groups received different concentrations of extract [25, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg body weight], the positive control group was tested by Phenytoin [5 mg/ kg] and the negative control group was tested by normal saline. Data were analyzed by kruskal - Wallis test and Tukey test. Injection of 50 and 100mg of the extract per kilogram of the body weight during the30 minutes interval before the systemic injection of Pentylenetetrazole, resulted in delay in the average onset time of the clonic convulsion Seizures with respect to the control group [P = 0.001] and also delay in the average onset time of the tonic - clonic Seizures with respect to the control group [P = 0.02] and besides the rates of mortality in that group of animals which were pretreated with 50 and 100 mg concentrations of the extract per kg of body weight indicated a significant difference with respect to the control group [P = 0.004] . Mortality rate was 100% in the negative control group, 37.5% in the50 mg/kg weight group and 12.5% in the 100 mg/kg weight group and 12.5% in the group treated by Phenytoin. This study indicated that the hydro-alcoholic extract of the Melissa officinalis plant can cause helpful effects on Seizures induced by Pentylenetetrazole in rats. Therefore, further studies are needed to understand the extent and mechanism of these effects