PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTICONVULSANT ACTIVITY OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF CURCUMA CAESIA
Seetaram Ahirwar*1, Shailendra Lariya1, Vishwakarma Singh1, Prabhat Jain2, Rajeev Malviya1
ABSTRACT
Bio-efficacy of plants and their derivatives have been reemphasized in recent times. Curcuma caesia Roxb (C. caesia Zingiberaceae), called black turmeric in English, is a perennial herb found throughout the Himalayan region, North-East and Central India. The plant has been traditionally used in India for the treatment of various ailments and metabolic disorders like leukoderma, asthma, tumours, piles, bronchitis, etc. Considering the importance of natural products in modern phytomedicine, the aim of the present study is to examine hydroalcoholic extract of C. caesia rhizomes for qualitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis and the anticonvulsant activity (100 and 200mg/kg, p.o.) in mice by using maximum electroshock seizure (MES) test and Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) test. Qualitative analysis of various phytochemical constituents and quantitative analysis of total phenolics and flavonoids were determined by the well-known test protocol available in the literature. Phytochemical screening of the extract showed the presence some common compounds like terpenoids, flavonoids, carbohydrate etc. The total flavonoids content of extract was found to be (0.897mg /100mg). The hydroalcoholic extract of C. caesia rhizomes significantly reduced the duration of seizures induced by MES. The hydroalcoholic extract in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg conferred protection (17and50%, respectively) on the mice. The same doses also protected animals from PTZ-induced tonic seizures. The hydroalcoholic extract of C. caesia possess anticonvulsant activity since it reduced the duration of seizures produced by maximal electroshock and delayed the latency of seizures produced by PTZ.
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