Preventive Effects of Ocimum gratissimum (Lamiaceae) Leaf Decoction on Pilocarpine-induced Seizure and Anxiety in White Mice (Mus musculus Swiss)

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of leaf decoction of Ocimum gratissimum (24.4, 61, 122 and 244 mg/kg) on seizures and anxiety during pilocarpine-induced epileptogenesis in mice Mus musculus Swiss. To evaluate anticonvulsivant and anxiolytic effect of Ocimum gratissimum, a pathological model of pilocarpine-induced temporal epilepsy, behavioral tests and analyses of biochemical parameters (malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione, GABA and GABA-transaminase) were used to verify its properties on pilocarpine-induced seizures, oxidative stress and anxiety. Four different doses of the decoction of Ocimum gratissimum were administered to the animals, and their effects were compared with distilled water (10 mL/kg), pilocarpine (360 mg/kg), sodium valproate (300 mg/kg), NaCl 0.9% and diazepam (3 and 0.3 mg/kg). The results showed that administration of Ocimum gratissimum significantly decreases the number and duration of seizures, it increases the latency of status epilepticus and seizures, as well as the seizure score. The decoctate significantly improves the behavioral performance of mice, and inhibits the effects of pilocarpine. This resulted in a decrease in MDA levels, an increase in reduced glutathione levels. A significant increase in GABA levels and a decrease in GABA-transaminase activity were also observed in animals treated with 244 mg/kg. These results suggest that Ocimum gratissimum has anticonvulsant, antioxidant and anxiolytic properties. It could be used as a preventive measure against Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.