Effects of an ethanolic extract of Desmodium adscendens on central nervous system in rodents

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 77 - 83
• Main Authors: N'gouemo, P., Baldy-Moulinier, M., Nguemby-Bina, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.06.1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acetates - toxicity; Acetic Acid; analgesics; Analgesics - isolation & purification; Analgesics - pharmacology; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Analysis of Variance; Animals; anticonvulsants; Anticonvulsants - isolation & purification; Anticonvulsants - pharmacology; Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; antidepressants; Biological and medical sciences; Body Temperature - drug effects; central nervous system; Central Nervous System - drug effects; Convulsants - toxicity; Convulsion; Desmodium; Desmodium adscendens; Disease Models, Animal; drug toxicity; Electroshock; Epilepsy - chemically induced; Epilepsy - drug therapy; Ethanol - chemistry; Ethanolic extract; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - toxicity; General pharmacology; Hypothermia; Kainic Acid - toxicity; Leaves; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; Medicine, African Traditional; Mice; Pentylenetetrazole - toxicity; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Leaves - metabolism; Plants, Medicinal; Poisoning - mortality; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rodents; Seizures - chemically induced; Seizures - drug therapy; Status epilepticus; traditional medicine; Africa; Leaves; Convulsion; Ethanolic extract; Rodents; Status epilepticus; Desmodium adscendens; Hypothermia; Rat; Pharmacognosy; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Anticonvulsant; Extract; Plant leaf; Central depressant; Biological activity; Medicinal plant; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Analgesic; Leguminosae; Folk medicine; Mouse; Dicotyledones; Animal; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-8741(96)01389-X

This study investigates some pharmacological effects of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of Desmodium adscendens (Papillionaceae), a medicinal plant in the African traditional medicine, on the central nervous system. The plant extract induced hypothermia and had analgesic effect in mice. D. adscendens suppressed the tonic phase of convulsion and mortality induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in mice. In addition, the plant extract delayed the onset of PTZ forelimb clonus, and generalized limbic seizures induced by kainic acid. In contrast, the plant extract did not affect either tonic convulsion induced by maximal electroshock in mice or the progression of limbic seizures towards the status epilepticus in rats.