Sedative and anxiolytic efficacy of Tilia americana var. mexicana inflorescences used traditionally by communities of State of Michoacan, Mexico

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 116; no. 3; pp. 461 - 468
• Main Authors: Pérez-Ortega, G., Guevara-Fefer, P., Chávez, M., Herrera, J., Martínez, A., Martínez, A.L., González-Trujano, M.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 28.03.2008; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier; Elsevier
• Subjects: anesthesia; anesthetics; animal behavior; animal models; Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents - adverse effects; Anti-Anxiety Agents - pharmacology; Anxiolytic; anxiolytic properties; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Diazepam - pharmacology; dosage; dose response; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; ethnobotany; Flavonoids - analysis; General pharmacology; Hypnotics and Sedatives - adverse effects; Hypnotics and Sedatives - pharmacology; Immobility Response, Tonic - drug effects; inflorescences; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Medicine, Traditional; Mexico; Mice; Motor Activity - drug effects; oral administration; pentobarbital; Pentobarbital - pharmacology; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Sedative-hypnotic; sedatives; Tilia - chemistry; Tilia americana var. mexicana; toxicity; traditional medicine; tranquilizers; Mexico; Central America; America; p.o; ANOVA; Central nervous system; CNS; i.p; Sedative-hypnotic; Tilia americana var. mexicana; LD 50; SP; Anxiolytic; S.E.M; Tilia americana; Pharmacognosy; Psychotropic; Inflorescence; Hypnotic; Medicinal plant; Tranquillizer; Folk medicine; Efficiency; Dicotyledones; Tiliaceae; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Hardwood forest tree; Spermatophyta; Sedative
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.12.007

Increasing demand of herbal products acquired in stores and markets, as well as medicinal plants collected for personal consume are a known modern tendency. In this study, the ethnomedicinal use of Tilia americana var. mexicana inflorescences as sedative and anxiolytic is reinforced by examinating inflorescences used by communities of the State of Michoacan, Mexico. Experimental mouse models were used to evaluate the sodium pentobarbital (SP)-induced hypnosis potentiation, ambulatory activity, as well as sedative and anti-anxiety responses via oral administration of the aqueous extracts (10, 30 and/or 100 and 300 mg/kg). All samples tested produced a lengthening in the time of SP. Moreover, a significant attenuation in the anxiety-response in the plus-maze test and a diminution in both the head dipping response and ambulatory activity were observed resembling the response to diazepam (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.). TLC profiles of the samples showed similar pattern of flavonoids; HPLC-DAD exhibited peaks identified as derived of quercetin and kaempferol that may be responsible for the plant activity. Our results demonstrate that inflorescences of stored specimens obtained from popular local markets show the same effectiveness with regard to sedative and anxiolytic-like actions than freshly collected samples. Since no toxicity was observed through this route of administration (up to 5000 mg/kg); therefore, it suggests that this plant is secure when used as tranquilizer in folk medicine.