@article {224, title = {Anticonvulsant and Antioxidant Effects of Musa sapientum Stem Extract on Acute and Chronic Experimental Models of Epilepsy}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {10}, year = {2018}, month = {February 2018}, pages = {49-54}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {49}, abstract = {

Background: Musa sapientum (banana) plant extract has been shown to possess antioxidant activity in previous studies. Neuronal injury resulting from oxidative stress is an important factor involved in pathogenesis of epilepsy. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of M. sapientum stem extract (MSSE) in acute and chronic experimental models in mice and its effects on various markers of oxidative stress in the brain of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindled animals. Material and Methods: Maximal electroshock seizures (MES) and PTZ-induced convulsion models were used for acute studies. For the chronic study, the effect of MSSE on the development of kindling was studied. For the evaluation of the effects of MSSE on oxidative stress in brain, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were estimated in the brains of the kindled animals. Results: MSSE significantly increased the latency to onset of myoclonic jerks and the duration of clonic convulsions following PTZ administration. The MSSE pretreated group showed significantly reduced mean seizure score on PTZ-induced kindling. There was a significant increase in the brain MDA levels and decrease in GSH levels in response to PTZ-induced kindling. On MSSE pretreatment, there was a significant decrease in the MDA levels in the brains, though the increase in the GSH levels was not significant. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest the presence of significant anticonvulsant activity in MSSE, in both acute and chronic PTZ-induced seizure models, which could be due to its antioxidant activity, as is reflected by the change in oxidative stress markers in brain.

}, keywords = {Epilepsy, Musa sapientum, Oxidative stress, Seizure}, doi = {10.4103/pr.pr_31_17}, author = {Aditya J. Reddy and Ashok Kumar Dubey and Shailendra S. Handu and Prashant Sharma and Pramod K. Mediratta and Qazi Mushtaq Ahmed and Seema Jain} } @article {512, title = {Effect of Musa sapientum Stem Extract on Animal Models of Depression}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {8}, year = {2016}, month = {August 2016}, pages = {249-252}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {249}, abstract = {

Background: Musa sapientum, the banana plant, has shown to possess antioxidant activity in previous studies. Oxidative stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD) with evidence of increased serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in MDD patients. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant activity of M. sapientum stem extract (MSSE) in experimental models in mice. Materials and Methods: Forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were carried out in five different groups (n = 6/ group) of mice. The vehicle, standard drug, and the three test groups were orally administered distilled water (10 mL/kg), fluoxetine (25 mg/kg), and incremental doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg of MSSE, respectively, 45 min prior to the experiment. Results: On FST, the duration of immobility in control group, which was 161.5 {\textpm} 6.78 (in seconds, mean {\textpm} standard error of mean [SEM]), decreased to 149.33 {\textpm} 2.70 (25 mg/kg MSSE), 120.17 {\textpm} 8.35 (50 mg/kg MSSE), and 45.17 {\textpm} 4.11 (100 mg/kg MSSE) in the treated groups. On TST, the duration of immobility in control group, which was 173.83 {\textpm} 12.65 (mean {\textpm} SEM), decreased to 163.17 {\textpm} 6.91 (25 mg/kg MSSE), 139.0 {\textpm} 5.9 (50 mg/kg MSSE), and 124.0 {\textpm} 4.42 (100 mg/kg MSSE) in the treated groups. The difference in the duration of immobility was statistically significant at middle and higher doses, i.e. 50 and 100 mg/kg MSSE (P \< 0.05) respectively, when compared with the control group in both the tests. Conclusion: A significant antidepressant-like activity was found in MSSE, which could be a potential natural compound for use in depression.

}, keywords = {Depression, Musa sapientum, Oxidative stress}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.188876}, author = {Aditya J. Reddy and Shailendra S. Handu and Ashok Kumar Dubey and Pramod Kumari Mediratta and Rimi Shukla and Qazi Mushtaq Ahmed} }