ASSESSMENT OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF GENDARUSSA VULGARIS LEAVES EXTRACT IN MICE

In folk medicine, Gendarussa vulgaris Nees (Acanthaceae) is used for the treatment of pain, fever, asthma, rheumatism, colic’s, arthritis, jaundice, inflammation, cephalgia, eczema, diarrhea, wounds, dyspepsia. The present study was designed to evaluate for its safety as well as anti-inflammatory and neuro-pharmacological activities of ethyl acetate extract of Gendarussa vulgaris leaves (EAGVL) by using OECD guidelines, xylene-induced ear edema in mice, pentobarbital-induced sleeping test, open field, and hole cross test. Mortality, a sign of any toxicity or behavioral changes were not observed up to the dose as high as 4000 mg/kg. The crude extract was found to have significant (P<0.05, vs. control) anti-inflammatory activity at the oral dose of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg (b.wt.) in the tested animals. Moreover, the extract of Gendarussa vulgaris leaves potentiated the pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in mice at dose 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg. In open field test, the extract at dose 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg showed a significant (P<0.05, vs. control) depressant and slight anti-depressant activity. Again, both lower and higher doses of extract (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) of G. vulgaris leaves were decreased the number of passage through the hole from one chamber to other in hole cross test. The results obtained in the present study demonstrated that EAGVL can be the possible sources of anti-inflammatory, CNS depressant, anti-depressant and anxiolytic agents. But further investigation is needed for the identification of the active compounds as well as confirmation of their activities.