Attenuation of Cisplatin-induced Emetogenesis by Standardized Bacopa Monniera Extracts in the Pigeon: Behaviovral and Neurochemical Correlations

Nausea and vomiting are the most distressing and common side effects of cancer chemotherapy which often result in patient non-compliance. In the present study, standardized methanolic fractions of Bacopa monniera (BM) were evaluated against cisplatin induced emesis in the pigeon in relation to their activity on central and intestinal neurotransmitter levels. Cisplatin (7.0 mg/kg, i.v.) induced reproducible emesis without lethality in healthy pigeons. The methanolic (10–40 mg/kg), the bacoside rich n-butanolic fractions of B. monniera (5–20 mg/kg) as well as the antioxidant N-(2-Mercaptoprpionyl) glycine (10 mg/kg) attenuated cisplatin induced emesis by 66.3% (P<0.05), 71.6% (P<0.001) and 76.5% (P<0.001), respectively; where the standard antiemetic, metoclopramide (30 mg/kg), produced a 48.9%