Abstract

ANXIOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF NERIUM OLEANDER FLOWER ON EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

Wazid Ali*, Md. Saifuddin Khalid and Maryam Khatoon

ABSTRACT

Plant Nerium oleander (Apocynaceae) is used in Indian folk medicine as an antidote to snake venom, aphrodisiac, tonic for chronic pain in joints and abdomen and to treat skin ulcers. In this study, Psychopharmacological potential of aqueous extract of Nerium oleander flower (AENOF) for its anxiolytic activity was evaluated. Oral doses (100 mg/kg 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) of AENOF was assayed by using elevated plus maze, hole-board test, light and dark model and social interaction test in mice and rats. The AENOF in elevated plus maze, showed marked increase in the time spent and the entry in open arm where as in hole-board test there was significant increase in head dip count and decrease latency and number of crossing. Likewise, in light and dark model the AENOF showed dose dependent effect with an increase in both latency to enter in dark and time spent in light with decrease in the number of entries. These effects were much more significant at 200mg and 400mg/kg as compared to the known anxiolytic drug diazepam (2mg/kg; p.o). However, in social interaction model, the AENOF at 400mg/kg has significantly increased the interaction time and decreased the locomotors activity. The present results suggest that the AENOF possess some sedative active principles and that were responsible for its anxiolytic activity.

Keywords: Anxiolytic property; Nerium oleander flower; Elevated plus maze; Hole-board; Light/dark; Social interaction.