RESUMO
Objective: Crinum jagus is used in traditional African medicine in the treatment of epilepsy, pain and inflammations. Methods: Anticonvulsant activity was investigated using picrotoxin (PCT) and strychnine (STR) tests in experimental paradigm. Results: Crinum jagus leaf methanol extract (200, 400, and 800?mg?kg?1) potentiated hexobarbitone-induced sleeping time and significantly (p<0.05) shortened the duration of convulsions in PCT-induced seizures. Delay in the onset of convulsions in PCT-induced seizure were very significant (p<0.05). Reduction in the frequency of seizures was also significant (p<0.05) in the test. Diazepam (5?mg?kg?1) was used as reference anticonvulsant drugs in the experimental models. While, CJB failed to protect the animals against picrotocin-induced convulsion. Neither the extract of CJL nor CJB confer significant effect on STR-induced convulsion. Flumazenil (GABA receptor antagonist) and cyproheptadine (5-HT2 receptor antagonist) blocked the effect of CJL extract in the PCT tests significantly suggesting that Crinum jagus may be acting by enhancing the effects of the GABAergic and serotonergic systems. Conclusion: The data obtained suggest that methanol leaf extract of C. jagus possessed significant anticonvulsant effect, thereby confirming the traditional uses of C. jagus in the treatment of epilepsies; mechanisms of which may involve interaction with GABAergic and serotonergic pathway.