Evaluation of the antipsychotic potential of aqueous fraction of Securinega virosa root bark extract in mice

Abstract

Securinega virosa (Roxb ex. Willd) Baill. is a plant which is commonly used in African traditional medicine in management of mental illness. Previous study showed that the crude methanolic root bark extract of the plant possesses antipsychotic activity. In this study, the antipsychotic potential of the residual aqueous fraction of the plant was evaluated using two experimental models, apomorphine induced stereotypic climbing behaviour and swim induced grooming, all in mice. The effect of the fraction on haloperidol-induced catalepsy was also evaluated. The fraction significantly reduced the mean climbing score at the highest dose tested (500 mg/kg). In the swim-induced grooming test, the fraction significantly and dose-dependently (125-500 mg/kg) decreased the mean number and mean duration of swim-induced grooming activity in mice. Similarly, the standard haloperidol (1 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.001) decreased the mean grooming episodes and duration. However, the fraction did not significantly potentiate haloperidol-induced catalepsy. These results suggest that the residual aqueous fraction of methanol root bark extract of Securinega virosa contains biological active principle with antipsychotic potential.

The Securinega Alkaloids

“…107 More recently, the extract of the same plant was evaluated on two murine experimental models, apomorphine-induced stereotypic climbing behavior and swim-induced The Securinega Alkaloids grooming. 108 The observed weak activity could be related to dopamine D1 or D2 receptors blockade. However, this fraction did not significantly potentiate haloperidol-induced catalepsy, a model for D2 blockade evaluation.…”

Discovery of Neuritogenic Securinega Alkaloids from Flueggea suffruticosa by a Building Blocks‐Based Molecular Network Strategy

“…[1] Securinega alkaloids (SEAs) are a group of plant specialized metabolites with distinctive structural features and significant biological activities, such as antitumor, antibiotic, and central nervous system (CNS) stimulation. [2,3] Since the discovery of securinine (Figure 1), which is the first and representative member of this alkaloid group, over 100 SEAs have been isolated and characterized from species of genera Securinega and Flueggea (Euphorbiaceae). Feeding experiments have previously demonstrated that the tetracyclic scaffolds (rings A-D) of SEAs are assembled through multistep cascade reactions utilizing two amino acid precursors, l-lysine (ring A) and l-tyrosine (rings C and D), as general biosynthetic building blocks.…”

“…The application of this strategy led to the efficient discovery and identification of three novel SEAs, suffranidines A-C (1-3, Figure 1), from F. suffruticosa. Structurally, compound 1 possessed an unprecedented 8/5/6/5/6/6/6/6-fused octacyclic architecture with a unique cage-shaped 3-azatricyclo[6.4.0.0 3,11 ]dodecane core. Compounds 2 and 3 are two highly modified SEA dimers containing additional C6 motifs.…”

“…In addition, the HMBC cross-peaks between H-4a and C-13, between H-5a/H-12 and C-3, and between H-6 and C-2/C-7 were observed, suggesting the presence of a C À C linkage between C-3 and C-13. Thus, the above spectroscopic data resulted in the construction of a complex tetracyclic substructure with an unprecedented cage-shaped 3-azatricyclo[6.4.0.0 3,11 ]dodecane core (1 a). Moreover, a l 2 -methyl substituted dihydrobenzo[h]quinoline motif (1 b) could be established by the key HMBC correla- ).…”

“…By employing this strategy, three unprecedented SEAs were successfully explored and isolated from the total alkaloid fraction of F. suffruticosa. Compound 1 possesses an unprecedented 8/5/6/5/6/6/6/6-fused octacyclic scaffold with a unique cage-shaped 3-azatricyclo[6.4.0.0 3,11 ]dodecane core, and compounds 2 and 3 are two highly modified SEA dimers with new carbon skeletons. Compared with those of classic MN and FBMN, the BBMN strategy has the following benefits: 1) High selectivity: The BBMN strategy can recognize characteristic fragments deriving from particular biogenetic building blocks, which could selectively identify the biogenetically relevant compounds; 2) More rapid: The BBMN strategy can optimize the bulky MS 2 data into a more concise and targeted one, which makes the following data analysis much more rapid.…”