SEDATIVE AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANT EFFECT OF NYMPHAEA LOTUS LINN (NYMPHAEACEAE) RHIZOME EXTRACT

SEDATIVE AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANT EFFECT OF NYMPHAEA LOTUS LINN (NYMPHAEACEAE) RHIZOME EXTRACT


MUDASSIR IDAYAT FOLASHADE1, SALAUDEEN MARYAM ADENIKE2*, MAIHA BELLO BILKISU2, MAGAJI MOHAMMED GARBA2, CHINDO BENJAMIN AHMED3

1. University Medical Centre, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
2. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria.
3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria.

Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 13(1): 001-010 (2021)

ABSTRACT

Nymphaea lotus also known as water lily, is a medicinal plant used for management of dyspepsia, enteritis, diarrhoea, hemorrhoids, fevers, insomnia, anxiety and other related disorders. The effect of methanol rhizome extract of water lily on sleep onset and duration as well as its CNS depressant activity was investigated. The sedative effect of the rhizome was assessed using diazepam- and ketamine-induced sleep time in mice and was validated using the beam-walk assay. CNS depressant effect was evaluated using Hole-Board Test (HBT), Open-Field Maze (OFM), Elevated-Plus Maze (EPM) and Light/Dark Box Maze (LDBM). In the diazepam-induced and ketamine-induced sleeping test, the extract significantly (p< 0.05) increased the mean duration of sleep but did not significantly alter sleep onset. In the beam walk assay, the extract significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the number of foot slips and the time taken to cross the beam, decreased the number of head dips in the HBT, decreased the number of squares crossed and decreased the total number of central squares in OFM, increased time spent in the closed arm in EPM and increased the time spent in the dark compartment in LDBM. The results of this research suggest that Water lily possess sedative and CNS depressant effect.

Email of correspondence: masalaudeen@abu.edu.ng

KEYWORDS: Nymphaea lotus; Sedation; CNS depressant; Sleep.