Anticonvulsant Activity of Boswellic Acids against Maximal Electroshock- Induced Convulsive Rats and Picrotoxin-Induced Convulsive Mice

Aim of the study: Epilepsy the most serious brain disorder is characterized by recurrence of seizures. So, the present study was carried out on rats and mice to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of boswellic acids (BA) isolated from oleo-gum resin of Boswellia serrata Roxb (Burseraceae).

Materials and Methods: Three different doses of BA viz., 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, were studied against the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and picrotoxin (PCT)-induced convulsions. Phenytoin sodium (PS) and diazepam (DZ) were used as reference standard in MES-induced convulsion model and PCT-induced convulsions respectively.

Results: Results of the present study revealed that BA showed dosedependent anticonvulsant activity by significantly decreasing the duration of hind limb tonic extension (HLTE) and by increasing the latency of HLTE as compared to control (p<0.001) in MES model. The BA did not show any significant anticonvulsant activity in PCT-induced convulsion model.

Conclusion: From the present study, it is concluded that the BA possesses anticonvulsant activity against electrically induced convulsions in experimental animals, which supports the ethno medicinal claim of the plant in the management of epilepsy.