Anticonvulsive Effect of Seed Extract of Caesalpinia bonducella (Roxb.)

In traditional system of Indian medicine, C.bonducella is widely used for its antipyretic, antiperiodic, anticonvulsive, and antiparalytic activities. For assessing anticonvulsant activity, pentylenetetrazole, maximal electro shock, strychnine- and picrotoxin-induced convulsions models were used. Diazepam was used as a standard reference for all models except maximal electro shock model, wherein phenytoin was used as standard reference. Seed kernels of C. bonducella were powdered and subjected to successive extraction with solvents like petroleum ether (PE), ethanol, methanol and water using soxhlet apparatus. All the extracts were administered as suspension in 2% gum acacia in all the experiments. Preliminary phytochemical investigation of petroleum ether extract of caesalpinia bonducella revealed the presence of saponins, glycoside, starch, sucrose, proteins, sterols and reported constituents like homoisoflavone (bonducillin) and a non alkaloid bitter principle (natin ). It was found to be non-toxic even up to the dose level of 3000mg/kg (LD 50 ). In pentylenetetrazole, maximal electro shock, strychnine- and picrotoxin-induced convulsion models medium and high doses (600 and 800mg/kg) of the extract showed significant anti-convulsant activity. The present investigation revealed that the PECB possessed anticonvulsant activity which may be contributed to the presence of phytoconstituents such as saponins, proteins, homoisoflavone (bonducillin), carbohydrates and sterols present in the drug, as these are already reported for their anxiolytic and anti-convulsant activities.