Sedative and hypnotic effects of the roots of Asparagus africanus (Asparagaceae) decoction on white mice (Mus musculus Swiss)
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
2 Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, National School of Agro-Industrial Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454 Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020, 11(03), 254-260.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2020.11.3.0189
Publication history:
Received on 16 June 2020; revised on 26 June 2020; accepted on 27 June 2020
Abstract:
Asparagus africanus Lam. (Asparagaceae) is a plant widely used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, for the treatment of nervous disorders and insomnia. The aim of this work was to study the sedative and hypnotic effects of the roots of A. africanus decoction on white mice (Mus musculus Swiss). Sleep potentiation tests induced by diazepam and sodium pentobarbital were used. The sleep latency period onset and the sleep duration were recorded. The concentrations of GABA a[nd GABA-T in the brains of mice were also estimated. A. africanus significantly decreased the sleep latency period onset and increased the sleep duration induced by diazepam and sodium pentobarbital. Bicuculline, a competitive photosensitive antagonist of the GABAA receptor complex, did not prevent this potentiation. The effect of A. africanus on the sleep time was not blocked by flumazenil, a specific antagonist to the benzodiazepine site in the GABAA receptor complex. GABA increased and GABA-T decreased in the animals brain A. africanus treated significantly. Therefore the sedative properties of A. africanus might be possibly mediated by the activation of GABAergic neurotransmission on inhibitory receptors and by the decrease in the recapture of GABA by inhibiting GABA-T. These properties justified its use against insomnia in traditional medicine.
Keywords:
Asparagus africanus; Diazepam; Pentobarbital sodium; Sedatives; Mice
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0
