Abstract

PHYTOPHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF BUTEA MONOSPERMA AS AN ANTI ANXIETY AGENT

*Anish Kumar, Ramesh Kumar Singh, Jyoti Singh and Archita Kapoor

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Abstract

Butea monosperma plant has been used for the anxiolytic activity. Then the acute toxicity of the extract of higher dose of 2000 mg/kg has been performed on the albino mice for 14 days. The ethanolic extract of Butea monosperma was evaluated for anxiolytic activity in mice. In open field test in which mice treated with dose 250 and 500 mg/kg of Butea monosperma showed dose dependent increase in open field ambulation, rearing, self grooming and center activity with compared to vehicle treated control mice, producing significant anxiolytic activity of Butea monosperma extract at the dose of 500mg/kg. In hole cross test in which a significant increase in the exploratory hole crossing behavior were observed after treatment with 500 mg/kg of Butea monosperma but there is no change at the dose of 250 mg/kg. In elevated plus maze model in which Butea monosperma treated mice exhibited dose dependent significant increase in time spent in open arm and entries in open arms at the dose of 500 mg/kg in comparison to control mice. In novelty induced suppressed feeding latency test in this test the latency to eat food decreased at the dose of 500 mg/kg in the novel environment as compared to control group animals. Fifth model was social interaction in this mice treated with Butea monosperma dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg spent significantly more time in social interaction at dose 500 mg/kg in comparison to control mice and effect of Butea monosperma extract was found to be dose dependent.

Keywords: Butea monosperma, Anxiety, Elevated plus Maze, Open Field Test, ?- Aminobutyric acid.