title: Effect of methanol extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. seeds on anxiety, sedation and motor coordination.
abstract: Currently available anxiolytics cause numerous adverse effects and show craving and tolerance during long term treatment. Currently traditional medicines have been re-evaluated widely through work on various plant species. Numerous plants in traditional system show pharmacological activity with unlimited prospective for therapeutic use. Hence we planned to evaluate the effect of methanol extract of T. foenum-graecum L. seeds on anxiety, sedation and motor coordination in mice at different doses following 15 days of oral feeding. Effect on anxiety was assessed by Hole board test and Light and Dark transition models.Phenobarbitone induced sleeping time and Rota rod test were performed to assess effect on sedation and motor coordination. In Hole board test, T. foenum-graecum L. seeds decreased the number of head dips in mice at all the three doses. In Light and Dark transition model, T. foenum-graecum L. seeds increased the period spent in the light box and the number of moves among the two compartments at 100 and 200 mg/kg as compared to control animals. In phenobarbitone induced sleeping time, T. foenum-graecum L. seeds did not reveal any sedative effect. In Rota rod test, extract exhibited significant skeletal muscle relaxant effect at 200 mg/kg (at 90 min) as compared to the control animals. Results of our study shows significant antianxiety effects of T. foenum-graecum L. seeds and may also recommend improved adverse effect profile as compared to diazepam.
authors.affiliation: Department of pharmacology, Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tahira
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Assad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan. rkhan1959@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rafeeq Alam
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D000432:Methanol; D051379:Mice; D009125:Muscle Relaxants, Central / Q000494:pharmacology; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000187:drug effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D012997:Solvents; D029910:Trigonella / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009125:Muscle Relaxants, Central; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D003975:Diazepam; D000432:Methanol; D010634:Phenobarbital
keywords: Anxiety; Hole board test; Motor coordination; Rota rod test; Sedation