title: Protective effect of BR-16A (Mentat), a herbal preparation on alcohol abstinence-induced anxiety and convulsions.
abstract: Chronic administration of ethanol (2-5 g/kg, po) on days 1 to 6 and its withdrawal produced anxiogenic reaction in mice and rats as assessed on the elevated plus-maze. Daily administration of BR-16A (100 mg/kg) prior to ethanol intoxication for 6 days prevented withdrawal induced anxiety in both rats and mice. However, acute administration of a single dose of BR-16A, to animals withdrawn from ethanol, i.e. on the 7th day, showed significant anxiogenic response. Ethanol withdrawal also sensitized the convulsogenic reaction to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). A non-convulsive dose (40 or 60 mg/kg) of PTZ produced full blown convulsions and increased mortality in ethanol withdrawn rats and mice, respectively. Both acute and chronic administration of BR-16A (100 mg/kg) exhibited significant protection against ethanol withdrawal-induced reduction in PTZ threshold in rats and mice. The results suggest the usefulness of this safe herbal psychotropic preparation in the management of ethanol withdrawal reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: C074754:Mentat; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol