Mice behavioural models with pooled data analysis of Gelsemium studies and new findings about Ignatia and Aconitum

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the effects of three different homeopathic medicines in several dilutions/dynamizations on mice, using validated models which explore anxiety-like and emotional symptoms. Two complete series of investigations were performed in order to assess the activity of Gelsemium sempervirens; furthermore, we investigated Ignatia amara and Aconitum napellus in the same model systems.
 Methods: Mice of CD1 strain were randomized in different cages (minimum 8 mice per treated group in each experiment) and treatment solutions were coded in such a way that all protocols were carried out fully in blind. The indicated compounds at various centesimal dilutions/dynamizations, a control solution (the solvent vehicle of drugs, which was succussed before administration) or the reference drugs diazepam (1 mg/kg body weight) or buspirone (5 mg/kg body weight) diluted in the same succussed solvent were delivered intraperitoneally (0.3 ml/mice) for 9 days. A series of changes of animal behavior were assessed by the Light-Dark (LD) choice test and the Open-Field (OF) exploration test. Two series of studies with little technical differences, exploiting a total of 14 separate experiments, were carried out with Gelsemium, five complete experiments with Ignatia and four complete experiments with Aconitum. 
 Results: In both series of experiments Gelsemium showed anxiolytic-like effects using both OF test (permanence and movement in centre area of field) and LD test (time spent in lit area and number of light-dark transitions). However, due to high variability of animal responses and possibly to some minor differences in protocols, those effects reached the threshold of statistical significance only in OF in the first series and only in LD in the second series. Cumulative analysis of the two series demonstrated a highly significant (p