Anticonvulsant, analgesic and hypothermic effects of Aridanin isolated from Tetrapleura tetrapetra fruit in mice

Abstract

Aridanin (an N-acetylglycoside of oleanolic acid) isolated from Tetrapleura tetraptera fruit was investigated for anticonvulsant, analgesic and hypothermic activities in mice. Aridanin at doses of 15 and 30 mg kg-1 by intraperitoneal administration was shown to protect animals in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure but not in strychine and picrotoxin induced convulsions. The same dose of aridanin equally decreased rectal temperature and acetic acid-induced writhes in mice. The hypothermic action of aridanin was reversed by pretreatment with cyproheptadine (0.1 mg kg-1), atropine (2 mg kg-1), naltrexone (0.25 mg kg-1), but not with haloperidol (0.1 mg kg-1). The effect on acetic acid-induced writhes was completely blocked by naltrexone, but not by atropine, cyproheptadine and haloperidol. The results suggest that aridanin could be acting as a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant and that its anticonvulsant property is mediated through the membrane stabilizing property and not through GABA and glycine neurotransmitters, respectively. Analgesic and hypothermic actions were mediated through opioids and cholinergic, 5-HT receptors, respectively. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.