Evaluation of Antiepileptic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Withnia Somnifera Leaves in Mice

Talloju Dheekshith¹, Nagaraju K², Gampa Vijay Kumar^3
1,2,3KGR Institute of Technology and Management, Rampally, Vill, KesaraMdl, Medchal-501301, Telangana, India

ABSTRACT
The present study was designed to investigate the anti epileptic activity of Withania Somnifera. To evaluate the antiepileptic activity of ethanolic extract of Withania somnifera leaves (EEWS) against Maximal electroshock (MES) and Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures in mice. Acute toxicity method, 48 adult male mice were used and 4 groups with six in each were allocated to each model. 4 Groups are divided into control, standard and two test groups. The control group received distilled water, standard group, phenytoin-200 mg/kg and the two test groups received an ethanolic extract of leaves of WithaniaSomnifera (EEWS) 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. Antiepileptic activity was assessed based on hind limb tonic extension duration, the onset of convulsions and mortality. The results were compared with control and standard. Results of the MES method results were the duration of HLTE of the control group (14±0.56s) was consistent with the finding (15.34 ± 0.93s). Withaniasomnifera doses of 200, 400 mg/kg, p.o was significant (P<0.05 and 0.001) as compared the control, Results of the PTZ induced seizures are similar to the symptoms observed in absence seizures and anti absence seizure drugs suppressed PTZ induced seizures. GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter of CNS and increase in its level in the brain produce severity of CNS dependent effects including depression and anticonvulsant effect. PTZ may be exerting its convulsive effect by inhibiting the activity of GABA at GABAA receptors, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter which is implicated in epilepsy. The mean value of the time of onset of clonic convulsions (sec) of the control group was 148.3 ± 8.36 which was slightly more than the earlier. Conclusion: EEWS has shown anticonvulsant activity in both MES and PTZ models. 400 mg/kg of EEWS has better protection than 200 mg/kg against seizure in MES model and equally efficacious as phenytoin standard in PTZ model. Results were analyzed by ANOVA with p<0.05 considered as significant.
Keywords: Antiepileptic activity, Maximal Electroshock (MES), Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), Withani asomnifera, phenytoin.