Evaluation of anticonvulsant activity of the ethanolic extracts from leaves of Excoecaria agallocha

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Excoecaria agallocha is popularly known as ‘Thillai’ plant in the tamil language of the South India. Its uses are mentioned on the temple inscription of the Chidambaram Temple, Chidambaram, India which dates back to 2nd Century CE. Aim: To investigate the anticonvulsant activity of ethanolic extract of leaves mangrove plant Excoecaria agallocha. Material and methods: The ethanolic leaf extract of Excoecaria agallocha (100, 200 and 40 mg/kg) was evaluated in Swiss albino mice and male wistar rats were used for the study. Two different study models were employed; Maximal electroshock and Lithium-Pilocarpine convulsion method. The ethanolic extract was also subjected to acute toxicity study and phytochemical evaluation. Results: The ethanolic extract of leaves of Excoecaria agallocha was found to be safe in toxicity studies when compared to the standard drugs. It has LD50 of 2.12 g/kg of oral dose and 3.12 mg/kg of intraperitoneal dose. This extract (100–400 mg/kg) produced a significant (P < 0.01) dose dependent delay in onset of seizures in the MES model on oral administration which is comparable to Phenytoin (20 mg/kg i. p). This extract (100–400 mg/kg) produced a significant (P < 0.01) dose dependent reduction in intensity of seizures in the Lithium-Pilocarpine epilepsy model which was comparable to the standard drug diazepam (10 mg/kg). Conclusion: The results obtained from this study and finding suggests for the use of Excoecaria agallocha for the management of convulsions and justifies its use in traditional medicine. Keywords: Excoecaria agallocha, Ethanolic extract, Anticonvulsant, MES, Lithium-pilocarpine