Development and Screening of Anticonvulsant Polyherbal Formulation

Objective: To explore the pharmacognostical characteristics and in vivo anticonvulsant activity of chloroform extracts of Diplocyclos palmatue leaves, Abutilon indicum Linn sweet stem and Cassia occidentalis whole plant formulation. Methods: The plants were successively extracted using chloroform. The extract was screened for phytochemicals using HPTLC, GCMS techniques. The extract was also screened for acute toxicity and herbal formulation anticonvulsant activity, against MES and PTZ induced convulsions, using Wistar albino rats. Results: The phytochemical screening study reveals the presence of more chemical constituents in chloroform extract. We found no significant changes in average body weight of animals, up to tested oral dose of 3000 mg/kg, during acute toxicity study and suspension having good stability on storage. The in vivo study reveals the anticonvulsant activity of chloroform extract against MES and PTZ induced convulsions. The chloroform extract is found to be more potent, similar to Phenytoin, in controlling both MES and PTZ induced convulsions. Conclusions: The results obtained suggest that the formulation has remarkable anticonvulsant activity. Also, our study indicates the potential application of these combined herbal dosage forms could be suitable for anticonvulsant activity. However, this claim demands through investigation in other models for anticonvulsant activity.