Behavioural Effects of Aerial Parts of Alysicarpus glumaceus Vahl DC in Murine Models

Abstract

Background Alysicarpus glumaceus has been reported to be used in managing patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. This work aimed to determine the behavioural effects of aerial parts of Alysicarpus glumaceus in murine models. Method The behavioural effects of the drug extract was evaluated using elevated zero maze (EZM), stair case test (SCT) and the open field test (OFT) while beam walking was used to test for motor coordination deficit and stimulant activity in mice at doses of 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg using diazepam (0.05 mg/kg) as the standard and normal saline (NS) as the control. Results All the test doses of the extract reduced the stretch attend posture and head dips as well as the number of rearing without significant decrease in the number of stairs climbed in the EZM and SCT respectively when compared to NS. In the OFT, Alysicarpus glumaceus extract increased the number of square crossing but it was insignificant (p>0.05). The extract at 1000 and 1500 mg/kg significantly (p<0.01) decreased the number of rearing; while at 500 mg/kg it significantly (p<0.001) decreased the number of rearing. At all the test doses used, there was no significant difference in time to reach the goal box and number of foot slips, however, mice given 500 mg/kg of the extract produced a significant (p<0.05) increase in time spent on the beam. Conclusion The findings revealed that the aerial parts of Alysicarpus glumaceus possesses central nervous system depressant actions.