Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Paulinia Pinnata on Swimming Endurance Time of Mice

Abstract

The swimming test was used to investigate the effect of aqueous leaf extract of Pauliniapinnata on the swimming endurance in mice. Mice were categorized into controls and test groups and placed in plastic jar containing water maintained at 25±1 o C. Each animal was allowed to swim until exhausted and the swimming time recorded. The results revealed that the extract (500mg/kg) and imipramine (50mg/kg) caused significant reduction (P<0.05) in swimming time compared to the control that was given normal saline. This effect is considered to be attributed to its CNS depression which diminishes ability for physical activity. Depressant activity of the extract was dose-dependent as swimming time decreased with increasing dose as revealed in the regression data. The results obtained with this extract therefore demonstrated that Pauliniapinnata leaf possess obvious depressant activity on the CNS of mice.