Anxiolytic activity of Evolvulus alsinoides and Convulvulus pluricaulis in rodents

Abstract

Shankhpushpi is a popular medicinal plant in the Ayurvedic system of medicine for treating mental disorders. Convulvulus pluricaulis Choisy. (Convulvulaceae) and Evolvulus alsinoides Linn. (Convulvulaceae) are used as Shankhpushpi by Ayurvedic practitioners. Ethanol extract of the aerial parts of both these drugs was evaluated for central nervous system (CNS) activity. The ethanol extract was fractionated into ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions and was tested in experimental models employing rats and mice. Elevated plus maze test, open field exploratory behavior and rotarod performance experiments were undertaken to observe influence on CNS. The extracts were also studied for their in vitro antioxidant potential to correlate their anxiolytic activity. In the elevated plus maze, ethyl acetate fractions of both the drugs at 100 mg/kg per oral showed an anxiolytic effect as evidenced by increase in the time spent in open arms and the number of open arm entries, compared to the control group. The open field exploratory behavior was also increased on administration of the ethyl acetate fractions (100 mg/kg p.o.) of both the drugs. The ethyl acetate fractions at doses of 200 mg/kg p.o. significantly reduced the neuromuscular coordination indicative of the muscle relaxant activity at a higher dose in both the drugs. The aqueous fractions of both the drugs were devoid of the above pharmacological actions at similar doses. Diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) was used as a standard in all the animal models studied. The present study provides scientific support for the anxiolytic and antioxidant activities of extracts of Evolvulus alsinoides and Convulvulus pluricaulis and substantiates the traditional claims for the usage of these drugs in stress-induced disorders.

Keywords::

• Evolvulus alsinoides
• Convulvulus pluricaulis
• elevated plus maze
• neuromuscular coordination
• antioxidant activity
• exploratory behavior

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Director, B.R. Nahata Smriti Sansthan – Contract Research Centre, Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh India for granting permission to carry out the in vivo studies. Alok Nahata is thankful to the University Grants Commission, New Delhi for providing a junior research fellowship.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.