EVALUATION OF ANXIOLYTIC AND ANTICONVULSANT PROPERTIES OF METHANOLIC STEM BARK EXTRACT OF FICUS INGENS (MIQUEL) MIQUEL IN MICE AND CHICKS
Ficus ingens (Miquel) Miquel is an evergreen shady tree belonging to the family, Moraceae with varying applicability in ethnomedicine. Study attempted to verify the claims for the use and efficacy of stem bark extract of Ficus ingens (Miquel) Miquel as anticonvulsant and anxiolytic agent. Phytochemical screening for the presence or absence of secondary metabolites was done using conventional protocols. The acute toxicity of the methanolic stem bark extract of Ficus ingens (Miquel) Miquel was investigated in mice via oral and intraperitoneal routes of drug administration. Maximal electroshock test (MEST) was administered to induce seizure in the chicks, while pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was employed to induce seizure in mice using standard procedures. Diazepam-induced sleep in mice was carried out in line with conventional procedure. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS Version 19.0 Armonk, NY: IBM Corp and results expressed as mean ± standard error of mean (SEM), quantal effect or percentages where applicable. The results revealed that the extract significantly (P<0.0005) prolonged the duration of diazepam-induced sleep without any effect on the latency to sleep at all the doses tested. The extract at all doses did not protect the mice from convulsion and mortality from PTZ except with 1000mg/kg dose that had a 100% protection against mortality. The extract at all doses had no effect on the mean recovery time of convulsed chicks. The oral and intraperitoneal LD 50 were both found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg. In conclusion, these results suggest that the extract contains biologically active principles that have sedative as well as possible anxiolytic properties and the inability of the methanolic stem bark extract of Ficus ingens (Miquel) Miquel to prevent convulsion induced by both MES and PTZ in chicks and mice respectively may be indicative that the extract does not possess anticonvulsant potential