Anticonvulsant activity of methanolic extract of clerodendron infortunatum linn. in swiss albino mice

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the anticonvulsant and sleep potentiation effect of methanolic extract of Clerodendron infortunatum Linn. (MECI) leaves in Swiss albino mice. The anticonvulsant effect of the MECI (250, 500 mg/kg body weight b.w, intraperitoneal i.p.) was examined against pentylenetetrazole- (PTZ, 80 mg/kg b.w; i.p.) and strychnine- (STR, 2.5 mg/kg b.w; i.p.) induced convulsion. MECI (500 mg/kg b.w; i.p.) significantly delayed (p < 0.01) the onset and antagonized PTZ-and STR-induced seizures. Diazepam (2 mg/kg b.w; i.p.) was used as a reference drug for anticonvulsant activity. Further, the study was undertaken to evaluate the sleep potentiation effect of MECI (250 and 500 mg/kg b.w; i.p.) in mice and the extract significantly increased pentobarbitone (45 mg/kg b.w; i.p.)-induced sleeping time in a dose dependent manner.