Anticonvulsant activity of extracts from six Cameroonian plants traditionally used to treat epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy remains one of the leading public health problems that affects about 50 million people worldwide, thus stressing the need for new anticonvulsant drug. This study was designed to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity against Penty lenetetrazole induced–convulsion in mice. Plants were extracted by maceration with water or organic solvents. The extracts were tested against PTZ-induced convulsion by measuring onset seizure, clonic seizure onset, convulsion duration, death time and percentage of protection. A. cordifolia leaf extract protected all animals from death at 1000 mg/kg. A. muricata stem extract delayed seizures at 200 and 400 mg/kg, while the onset of tonicoclonic (TC) seizures was significantly delayed at the highest doses tested for the seed extract (800 mg/kg). Stem and leaf extracts of A. senegalensis significantly delayed seizure onset at all doses. D. adescendes extract significantly protected mice from death. F. thonningii leaf extract at the smallest dose tested (200 mg/kg), significantly delayed the seizure onset and the occurrence of TC convulsions. Bark extract of V. doniana significantly delayed the seizure onset at all doses tested. The results obtained corroborate with the traditional claims that these plants can be a valuable source of new anticonvulsant compounds.

Keywords: Plant extracts, PTZ-induced seizures, anticonvulsant effect, mice.