Anticonvulsant effects of Calotropis procera root in rats

Figures & data

Table 1.  Acute toxicity of Calotropis procera R. Br root extracts.

Treatment	Incidence of symptoms at different doses					Mortality (%)
	1 g/kg	2 g/kg	3 g/kg	4 g/kg	5 g/kg
Vehicle	-	-	-	-	-	0
Pet. ether (40°–60°) extract	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chloroform extract	0	70	-	-	-	60
Alcohol extract	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aqueous extract	0	0	0	0	0	0

Table 2.  Effect of Calotropis procera R. Br root extracts against MES induced convulsions.

Group	Treatment (mg/kg b.w.)	Time (sec) in various phases of convulsions (Mean ± SEM)
		Flexon	Extensor	Clonus	Stupor	Recovery/death
1.	Control (saline 1 ml/rat)	2.83 ± 0.40	14.83 ± 1.54	2.83 ± 0.31	182.00 ± 22.66	Recovery
2.	Standard phenytoin (25)	0.00 ± 0.00***	0.00 ± 0.00***	0.00 ± 0.00***	6.00 ± 0.44***	Recovery
3.	Pet. ether (40–60°C) extract (500)	2.50 ± 0.34	11.17 ± 1.40	3.00 ± 0.36	251.70 ± 27.83	Recovery
4.	Chloroform extract (200)	1.83 ± 0.17*	7.00 ± 0.97**	1.83 ± 0.30**	89.00 ± 18.52**	Recovery
5.	Alcohol extract (500)	2.17 ± 0.17	18.17 ± 0.95	3.17 ± 0.60	133.70 ± 9.69	Recovery
6.	Aqueous extract (500)	2.17 ± 0.30	13.17 ± 0.94	3.50 ± 0.34	115.80 ± 7.35	Recovery

*p < 0.05 significant, **p < 0.01 most significant, ***p < 0.001 highly significant (compared with the respective control).

Table 3.  Effect of Calotropis procera R. Br root extracts against PTZ induced seizures.

Group	Treatment (mg/kg b.w.)(dose)	Onset of action (in s) (mean ± SEM)	% Mortality
1.	Control (saline 1 ml/kg) + PTZ [90 mg]	113.3 ± 4.97	100%
2.	Diazepam + PTZ [4 + 90]	0.00 ± 0.00***	0%
3.	Petroleum ether (40–60° C) Extract + PTZ [500 + 90]	112.50 ± 4.79	100%
4.	Chloroform extract + PTZ [200 + 90]	543.20 ± 1.96***	0%
5.	Alcohol extract + PTZ [500 + 90]	28.67 ± 1.69	100%
6.	Aqueous extract + PTZ [500 + 90]	138.00 ± 11.20**	0%

*p < 0.05 significant; **p < 0.01 most significant; ***p < 0.001 highly significant (compared with the respective control).

Figure 1.  Inhibitory effect Calotropis procera R. Br root extracts and diazepam on the latency to various stages (stage 1, fictive scratching; stage 2, tremors; stage 3, head nodding; stage 4, forelimb clonus; and stage 5, rearing, falling and clonus) of lithium–pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in rats.