EVALUATION OF THE ANTICONVULSANT ACTIVITY OF THE ETHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF UVARIA AFZELLI Sc. Elliot (ANNONAECAE) IN MICE

Epilepsy is the fouth most common brain disorder in the world and about 65 million of the global population are victims. Sadly, the currently available conventional drugs are riddled with numerous side effects, expensive and have not demonstrated adequate capacity in managing this disorder. Hence, the need for safer, cheaper and more effective therapy. This study is aimed at investigating the anticonvulsant activity of the ethanol leaf extract of Uvaria afzelii. Twenty-five (25) mice were randomly allotted to five different groups of five mice each. The animals were treated orally with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract respectively and 10 ml/kg of distilled water. The standard group received diazepam (5 mg/kg, i.m). Both strychnine (4 mg/kg, i.p) and picrotoxin (5mg/kg, i.p.) were used to induce convulsion 30 minutes post administration of extract and distilled water, and 15 minutes for standard drug. The onset and duration of convulsion for each mouse were recorded. Mice that did not convulse within 30 min of strychnine and picrotoxin injection were considered protected. The extract (400 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.01) delayed the onset of convulsion with significant reduction (P<0.05) in the duration of seizures induced by picrotoxin with 20% mortality. In the strychnine-induced test, U. afzelii (200 & 400 mg/kg) significantly delayed (p<0.001, 0.0001) the onset of convulsion with mortality of about 40%. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and saponin. The findings in this study show that the ethanol leaf extract of Uvaria afzelii possesses anticonvulsant activity.