Anticonvulsant action of Calotropis procera latex proteins.
Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. is a laticiferous plant belonging to the Apocynaceae family. C. procera latex proteins were evaluated with respect to anticonvulsant and sedative activity in mouse models of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-, pilocarpine-, and strychnine-induced convulsions or turning behavior and pentobarbital-induced sleep. In the strychnine- and pilocarpine-induced seizure models, C. procera latex proteins caused no significant alterations in latencies to convulsions and death, as compared with controls. In the PTZ-induced seizure model, administration of C. procera latex proteins in high doses (50 or 100mg/kg) and diazepam caused significant increases in latencies to convulsions and death. C. procera latex proteins (50 or 100mg/kg) and 2mg/kg diazepam caused a decrease in sleep latency and an increase in sleep time compared with the control group and groups treated with 5 or 10mg/kg. Our results suggest that C. procera latex proteins have a central nervous system-depressant activity as reflected in their potentiation of pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and their anticonvulsant action in the PTZ-induced seizure model.
Instituto Superior de Biomedicina. Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Ceará, Brazil.
Raquel Cristina de Sousa
RC
Lima
Márcia Calheiros Chaves
MC
Silva
Carlos Clayton Torres
CC
Aguiar
Edna Maria Camelo
EM
Chaves
Kátia Cilene Ferreira
KC
Dias
Danielle Silveira
DS
Macêdo
Francisca Cléa Florenço
FC
de Sousa
Krishnamurti de Morais
Kde M
Carvalho
Márcio Viana
MV
Ramos
Silvânia Maria Mendes
SM
Vasconcelos
D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031107:Calotropis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007840:Latex / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D007840:Latex; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010940:Plant Proteins