ABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Marsilea quadrifolia Linn. (MQ) has been used for insomnia and epileptic disorders in traditional Indian medicine. The present study is to isolate the active component responsible for antiepileptic property of MQ by evaluating its ability to minimize the reactive oxidative damage in brain due to chronic epilepsy in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1-Triacontanol cerotate (1TAC) was isolated after chromatography on a silica gel from dried petroleum ether fraction of methanolic extract of MQ. Acute oral toxicity studies of 1TAC were carried out and efficacy of 1TAC on malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) production in different brain areas of chronic pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced epileptic rats were evaluated. RESULTS: Our results showed that PTZ-kindled chronic epileptic rats had an increase MDA and decreased GSH concentration in the frontal cortex as well as hippocampus, compared to the normal control. MDA and GSH concentrations in those brain areas were normalized after treatment with sodium valproate (SV) in 200 mg kg(-1)bw; as well as 1TAC in 40 and 80 mg kg(-1)bw doses. CONCLUSION: Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to worsen epileptogenesis. The isolated component 1TAC which reduced the reactive oxidative damage in hippocampus and frontal cortex of PTZ kindled rats could be responsible for antiepileptic property of MQ. Its action is found to be dose dependent, with 80 mg kg(-1)bw showing even better efficacy than 200 mg kg(-1)bw of SV.
Subject(s)
Epilepsy, Generalized/drug therapy , Fatty Alcohols/isolation & purification , Fatty Alcohols/therapeutic use , Frontal Lobe/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Marsileaceae/chemistry , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Animals , Chronic Disease , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Epilepsy, Generalized/chemically induced , Fatty Alcohols/adverse effects , Fatty Alcohols/pharmacology , Frontal Lobe/drug effects , Glutathione/metabolism , Hippocampus/drug effects , Malondialdehyde/metabolism , Pentylenetetrazole , Rats , Valproic Acid/therapeutic useABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the anti-epileptic effects of methanolic extract of Marsilea quadrifolia Linn. (MQ) in maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced rat models of epilepsy. METHOD: A total of 84 adult male Wistar rats were used. An acute oral toxicity study was conducted on 36 rats and the remaining were used for other experiments. Each model had 24 rats which were allotted into four groups (n = 6). Group I (Control) received 1% carboxymethyl cellulose solution, Group II (Positive control) received phenytoin 300 mg kg(-1) b.w. in the MES model; sodium valproate 200 mg kg(-1) b.w. in the PTZ model, Group III (MQ) received 400 mg kg(-1) b.w. MQ extract and Group IV (MQ) received 600 mg kg(-1) b.w. MQ extract. Hind limb extension (HLE) time and recovery time were noted in the MES model. Latency for myoclonic jerk, seizures and EEG was recorded in the PTZ model. RESULTS: When compared to control, the phenytoin received group did not show HLE. In MQ pre-treated groups only 50% of rats showed HLE. Sodium valproate and various doses of MQ significantly increased the latency for onset of clonus and seizures. PTZ-induced EEG alterations were significantly attenuated by MQ administration and this was comparable to that of the sodium valproate effect. CONCLUSION: Marsilea quadrifolia Linn. showed significant anti-epileptic efficacy against various epilepsy models.
