Effect of acute administration of ursolic acid on haloperidol induced catalepsy in albino mice

Neuroleptic drugs used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other affective disorders are known to produce extrapyramidal side effects. Catalepsy induced by these drugs in animals has been used as a model for the extrapyramidal side effects associated with antipsychotic agents in human beings. In the present study, we have attempted to evaluate the protective effect of the ursolic acid (UA) on haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneal administration)-induced catalepsy in mice by employing the standard bar test. Mice were allocated to five groups, each group containing six animals. The effects of the test drug UA (at 0.05, 0.1 & 0.2 mg/kg doses) and the standard drug, scopolamine (1.0 mg/kg) was assessed after single dose administration, 30 minutes prior to the haloperidol. The results suggest that UA has a protective effect against haloperidol-induced catalepsy, which is comparable to the standard drug used for the same purpose. Our study indicates that UA could be used to prevent neuroleptic drug induced extrapyramidal side effects.