Effect of crude extracts of Erythrina americana Mill. on aggressive behavior in rats

Garín-Aguilar, M. E.; Luna, Jorge E. Ramı́rez; Soto-Hernández, Marcos; Toro, Gustavo Valencia del; Vázquez, Manuel

doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(99)00121-x

Cited by 44 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It has been suggested, for example, on the basis of their pharmacologic profile, that the alkaloids present in some species of Erythrina may alter GABAergic neurotransmission. 4) Nevertheless, in contrast to the results obtained after acute administration, the present data showed that chronic EM also altered ETM one-way escape, a task that has been related to panic disorder. This result is similar to the ones obtained with the monoamine reuptake inhibitor imipramine in the model.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…[1][2][3] Several species of Erythrina are used in folk medicine due to their tranquilizer effects. 4) Alkaloid fractions from Erythrina americana have been shown to possess anticonvulsant, hypotensive, hypnotic, and analgesic effects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) The alkaloids diminished aggressive behavior in a way similar to the benzodiazepine (BZD) diazepam (DZP), used as a control. Potential therapeutic activity has also been reported for other species of Erythrina.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effects of Chronic Treatment with a Water-Alcohol Extract from Erythrina mulungu on Anxiety-Related Responses in Rats

Onusic

Nogueira²,

Pereira

et al. 2003

Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There are more than 100 known species of Erythrina in the tropics. From those, approximately half have been studied.1) Erythrina plants are known to produce alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenes.1-3) Several species of Erythrina are used in folk medicine due to their tranquilizer effects.4) Alkaloid fractions from Erythrina americana have been shown to possess anticonvulsant, hypotensive, hypnotic, and analgesic effects.5) The tranquilizer effects of crude alkaloid fractions from Erythrina americana were investigated in a model that provokes aggressiveness by visual isolation.4) The alkaloids diminished aggressive behavior in a way similar to the benzodiazepine (BZD) diazepam (DZP), used as a control. Potential therapeutic activity has also been reported for other species of Erythrina. Thus antiviral and antibacterial activity has been shown for Erythrina glauca 3) and Erythrina lysistemon 6) and analgesic and antiinflammatory effects were reported for an aqueous extract from Erythrina senegalensis. 7)Erythrina mulungu (EM) (Leguminosae-Papilionaceae), popularly known as mulungu, is a medium-sized wellbranched tree native to Southern Brazil.8) It produces a profusion of reddish flowers at the end of its branches. Since its flowers are the same color as coral, the plant is sometimes also called "coral tree." In herbal medicine, a leaf or bark decoction or tincture from mulungu is considered to calm agitation and other disorders of the nervous system, including insomnia and depression. 9) As with other species of Erythrina, alkaloids appear to be one of the main constituents of EM. 2)Recently, the supposed therapeutic properties of EM have begun to be evaluated in preclinical studies. Thus, in a previous study performed in our laboratory, 10) the effects of acute treatment with a water-alcohol extract from the inflorescence of EM were investigated in rats submitted to models specifically related to different types of anxiety disorder: the elevated T-maze (ETM), the light/dark transition, and the cat odor test. Results showed that acute treatment with EM altered both inhibitory avoidance latencies in the ETM and the behavior of rats in the light/dark transition model, in a way similar to DZP. Since previous pharmacologic studies pointed to a relationship between these two anxiety-related tasks and generalized anxiety disorder in humans, [11][12][13][14][15][16] these results suggest that acute administration of EM exerts anxiolytic-like effects in a specific subset of defensive behaviors, particularly those related to generalized anxiety.Taking the above evidence into account, the purpose of the present study was to extend the investigation of the anxiolytic potential of EM. It is important to emphasize that in the clinical setting antidepressant compounds have shown therapeutic efficacy in some subtypes of anxiety disorder, i.e., panic, only after chronic treatment.17) Since, aside from its tranquilizer effect, EM has also been popularly used to treat depression, in the present study the effects of repeated administ...

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of Chronic Treatment with a Water-Alcohol Extract from Erythrina mulungu on Anxiety-Related Responses in Rats

Onusic

Nogueira²,

Pereira

et al. 2003

Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Erythrina species are known to produce alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenes (1,2). Pharmacological assays performed with the alkaloids of Erythrina americana have shown anticonvulsant, hypnotic and analgesic effects (3). The species Erythrina glauca and Erythrina lysistemon have been reported to possess antiviral and antibacterial activity (1,4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of acute treatment with a water-alcohol extract of Erythrina mulungu on anxiety-related responses in rats

Onusic

Nogueira

Pereira

et al. 2002

Braz J Med Biol Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated the effect of acute oral treatment with a water-alcohol extract of the inflorescence of Erythrina mulungu (EM, LeguminosaePapilionaceae) (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) on rats submitted to different anxiety models: the elevated T-maze (for inhibitory avoidance and escape measurements), the light/dark transition, and the cat odor test. These models were selected for their presumed capacity to demonstrate specific subtypes of anxiety disorders as recognized in clinical practice. Treatment with 200 mg/kg EM impaired avoidance latencies (avoidance 1 -200 mg/kg EM: 18 ± 7 s, control group: 40 ± 9 s; avoidance 2 -200 mg/kg EM: 15 ± 4 s, control group: 110.33 ± 38 s) in a way similar to the reference drug diazepam (avoidance 1: 3 ± 0.79 s; avoidance 2: 3 ± 0.76 s), without altering escape. Additionally, the same treatments increased the number of transitions (200 mg/kg EM: 6.33 ± 0.90, diazepam: 10 ± 1.54, control group: 2.78 ± 0.60) between the two compartments and the time spent in the lighted compartment in the light/dark transition model (200 mg/kg EM: 39 ± 7 s; diazepam: 61 ± 9 s; control group: 14 ± 4 s). The dose of 400 mg/kg EM also increased this last measurement (38 ± 8 s). These results were not due to motor alterations since no significant effects were detected in the number of crossings or rearings in the arena. Furthermore, neither EM nor diazepam altered the behavioral responses of rats to a cloth impregnated with cat odor. These observations suggest that EM exerts anxiolytic-like effects on a specific subset of defensive behaviors, particularly those that have been shown to be sensitive to low doses of benzodiazepines.

show abstract

“…The genus Erythrina (Leguminosae) Milld, with at least 110 species identifi ed (Vasconcelos et al, 2003), has attracted the attention of many scientists, probably because some of the Erythrina species have been used in folk medicine from South and North America (Garín-Aguilar et al, 2000) to Africa (El-Olemy et al, 1983) and Asia (Telikepalli et al, 1990;Kòbaiashi et al, 1997;Hegde et al, 1997). In Brazilian folk medicine, different species of Erythrina are used for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as nervous system excitation, insomnia, convulsions and nervous coughs (Teske;Trentini, 1995;Matos, 1997;Agra et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relaxant effect of the aqueous extract of Erythrina vellutina leaves on rat vas deferens

Santos¹,

Alves²,

Antoniolli³

et al. 2007

Rev. bras. farmacogn.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

RESUMO: "Efeito relaxante do extrato aquoso das folhas de Erythrina vellutina em ducto deferente de rato". O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do extrato aquoso das folhas de Erythrina vellutina (AE) sobre ducto deferente de rato. Nesta preparação, o AE inibiu as contrações induzidas por estímulo elétrico de campo de maneira dependente da concentração. Esta inibição não foi afetada após atropina (10 -5 M), propanolol (10 -5 M), prazosin (10 -5 M) ou yohimbina (10 -5 M), sugerindo uma ação indireta do AE sobre receptores colinérgicos ou adrenérgicos. A incubação da preparação com os antagonistas de canais de K + , tetraetilâmonio (10 -6 M) ou 4-aminopiridina (10 -6 M) não alterou o efeito inibitório induzido pelo AE. Entretanto, a glibenclamida (10 -6 M) atenuou signifi cantemente este efeito, sugerindo um possível envolvimento de canais de K + dependentes de ATP. Além disso, o AE (0.15 mg/mL) não alterou as contrações induzidas por noradrenalina (10 -5 M), ATP (10 -4 M) ou KCl (80 mM), descartando uma interação do AE com um sítio pós-sináptico. Em conclusão, estes resultados demonstram que o efeito inibitório do AE pode ser devido a uma interação pré-sináptica com canais de K + dependentes de ATP em neurônios simpáticos de ducto deferente de rato.Unitermos: Erythrina vellutina, ducto deferente de rato, canal de K + dependente de ATP. ABSTRACT:The effect of the Aqueous Extract from the leaves of Erythrina vellutina (AE) on rat vas deferens preparation was evaluated in this work. The AE inhibited the muscle contractions induced by electrical fi eld stimulation (EFS) in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition was not affected by atropine (10 -5 M), propanolol (10 -5 M), prazosin (10 -5 M) or yohimbine (10 -5 M), suggesting that there is no direct interaction of the AE with cholinergic nor adrenergic receptors. Incubation of vas deferens with the K + channel antagonists, tetraethylamonium (10 -6 M) or 4-aminopyridine (10 -6 M) had also no effect on the AE-induced inhibition. On the other hand, glibenclamide (10 -6 ) signifi cantly attenuated the effect of the AE, suggesting a possible involvement of ATP-dependent K + channels. The AE (0.15 mg/mL) did not alter the contractions induced by noradrenaline (10 -5 M), ATP (10 -4 M) nor KCl (80 mM), against an interaction of the extract with post-synaptic sites. The data presented suggests that the inhibition of the electrically driven muscle twitches by the AE could be due to a pre-synaptic interaction of the extract with ATP-dependent K + channels from vas deferens sympathetic neurons.

show abstract

Effect of crude extracts of Erythrina americana Mill. on aggressive behavior in rats

Cited by 44 publications

References 10 publications

Effects of Chronic Treatment with a Water-Alcohol Extract from Erythrina mulungu on Anxiety-Related Responses in Rats

Effects of Chronic Treatment with a Water-Alcohol Extract from Erythrina mulungu on Anxiety-Related Responses in Rats

Effect of acute treatment with a water-alcohol extract of Erythrina mulungu on anxiety-related responses in rats

Relaxant effect of the aqueous extract of Erythrina vellutina leaves on rat vas deferens

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About