title: On the sleep promoting effects of BR-16A: interaction with GABAergic modulators.
abstract: Pentobarbitone-induced hypnosis test was used as an animal model to explore the role of BR-16A, a polyherbal formulation in sleep. Pentobarbitone produces quick sleep latency (onset) and prolongation of total sleep time (duration). Sleep latency and total sleep time were used as a parameters for the evaluation. BR-16A potentiated the effect of triazolam (0.1 mg/kg, ip) and alprazolam (0.25 mg/kg, ip). Melatonin (5.0 mg/kg, ip) and zolpidem (0.5 mg/kg, ip) did not produce any significant effect on sleep parameters. However, alprazolam (0.25mg/kg, ip) potentiated the effect of BR-16A (100 mg/ kg, po) in higher dose only. Sleep promoting effect of BR-16A in combination with GABAergic drugs (triazolam and alprazolam,) suggested that these drugs have common mechanism in sleep promoting effect of pentobarbitone and could be used along with other GABAergic hypnotics for the treatment of insomnia. This may reduce the dose of the latter drug(s). BR-16A can be used for the treatment of sleep and sleep-related disorders.
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160 014, India.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
mesh_terms: D000525:Alprazolam / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006990:Hypnosis; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; D013997:Time Factors; D014229:Triazolam / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077334:Zolpidem
chemical_list: D018755:GABA Agonists; D018757:GABA Modulators; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; C074754:Mentat; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011725:Pyridines; D014229:Triazolam; D000077334:Zolpidem; D008550:Melatonin; D000525:Alprazolam