ABSTRACT
Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the anticataleptic effect of Phyllanthus amarus ethanolic extract in Swiss albino mice. Methods: The ethanolic extract of leaves of Phyllanthus amarus [PAEE] at a dose of 100mg/kg/body weight was administered orally for ten days. On tenth day, one hour later Haloperidol [1 mg/ kg IP] was administered to induce catalepsy. Results: The results indicate that induction of catalepsy by Haloperidol in Swiss albino mice was significantly prevented by PAEE. Conclusions: The anticataleptic activity of Phyllanthus amarus can be due to its effect on brain neurotransmitters or due to antioxidant property.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate anticonvulsant effect of Phyllanthus amarus on maximal electroshock-induced seizures (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures. Methods: The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the leaves and stems of P. amarus (70 mg/kg, p.o) were studied for their anticonvulsant effect on MES and PTZ induced seizures in Swiss albino rats. The latency of tonic convulsions and the number of animals protected from tonic convulsions were noted. Results: The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the leaves and stems of P. amarus (70 mg/kg, p.o) significantly (p<0.001) abolished the hind limb extension induced by MES. The same dose also significantly (p<0.001) protected the animals from PTZ induced tonic convulsions. Conclusions: The data suggests that the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of P. amarus may produce its anticonvulsant effects via non-specific mechanisms since it abolished the hind limb extension induced by MES as well as delayed the latency of seizures produced by PTZ.