Evaluation of anticonvulsant activity of methanol leaf extract of Opilia celtidifolia diels (opiliaceae) in mice and chicks

Abstract

Epilepsy affects 1% of the global population, with around 2.4 million new diagnoses annually. Approximately 80% of individuals with epilepsy reside in low- and middle-income countries, with a prevalence of 8.2 per 1000 in sub-Saharan Africa and 8 per 1000 in Nigeria. This study evaluated the anticonvulsant properties of methanol leaf extract of Opilia celtidifolia (MEC) in mice and chicks. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract was determined in mice and chicks. The acute anticonvulsant properties of MEC were evaluated using pentylene tetrazole (PTZ), maximal electroshock (MES), strychnine, and picrotoxin-induced convulsions, while the chronic anticonvulsant effect was assessed through PTZ-induced kindling. The effects of MEC on cognition, coordination, motor deficits, sedation, and locomotion were assessed using the Y Maze, Beam Walking, and Open Field tests. The extract increased the mean percentage of survival and significantly delayed the mean onset of PTZ-induced seizure (p<0.05), strychnine-induced seizure (p<0.01), and picrotoxin-induced seizures (p<0.05) at a dose of 1000 mg/kg. However, the extract did not provide protection against MES-induced seizures. In the kindling model, the extract-treated mice exhibited a decrease in the seizure threshold, with an associated increase in oxidative stress. The extract treated mice showed significant (p<0.05) decrease in locomotor activity with apparent sedative effect but there was no obvious cognitive impairment in learning and memory, coordination or motor deficits. MEC is apparently non-toxic and possesses anticonvulsant activity against some animal models of epilepsy. It also exhibited decreased locomotor activity with apparent sedative effect in mice.