Bevelyn AJUBE

Studies and advancements in neuroscience have been sparked by the prevalence of CNS diseases. Consequently, variety of therapies, medications and treatments with the goal of improving the lives of those affected have been created with an emphasis on herbal medicine. Major research has been done on different parts of Icacina trichantha such as the tubers, stems and leaf. It is traditionally used to treat hypertension, asthma, fever and neurological disorders. Pharmacological studies on the medicinal potential of the plant tuber, leaf and stem have been conducted, however there has been little research done on the leaves of the plant regarding CNS activity. Fresh leaves of Icacina trichantha were harvested, cleaned, dried and extracted over the course of 72 hours by cold maceration using (1:1) distilled water and methanol. Pentylenetetrazole induced seizure, Maximum electroshock induced Seizure, Rota-rod test and static- rod test was carried out in mice using graded doses 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg orally of the plant extract. Results from the experiment revealed that mice administered with 200 mg/kg of the plant extract was protected from pentylyenetetrazole induced seizure. While no protection in maximal electro-shock induced seizure was observed, had no effect on the animal models
used to evaluate skeletal muscle relaxation across all groups treated with the plant extract as compared to the control. This indicates that the plant possesses anti-convulsant activity but not effective on skeletal muscle relaxation.