Effect of Ethanol Extract of Indigofera tinctoria Linn (Fabaceae) on Lithium/Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus and Oxidative Stress in Wistar Rats

G Asuntha^1*, Y Prasannaraju² and KVSRG Prasad³

¹Department of Pharmacy, S P W Polytechnic, Tirupati-517 502, India, ²Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, #1, Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ³Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (A Women’s University), Tirupati-517 502, India.

*Corresponding author:  E-mail: yasuntharaj@yahoo.co.in; Tel: +91-8772248226

Received: 16 October 2009                                                                                  Revised accepted: 17 February 2010

Purpose: Indigofera tinctoria Linn. of the Fabaceae family is claimed to be useful in the treatment of a variety of epileptic disorders in Indian traditional system of medicine. The present study was designed to verify this claim.

Methods: Status epilepticus was induced in male albino rats of Wistar strain by administration of pilocarpine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) 24 h after injection of lithium chloride (3 mEq/kg, i.p.).  Different doses of the ethanol extract of Indigofera tinctoria were administered orally 1 h before the injection of pilocarpine. The severity of status epilepticus was observed and recorded every 15 min for 90 min and thereafter every 30 min for another 90 min, using Racine scoring system. In-vivo lipid peroxidation of rat brain tissue was measured in terms of the thiobarbiturate-reactive substances (TBARS). Both in-vitro free radical nitric oxide (NO) and 2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities of the extract were also determined.

Results: The severity of status epilepticus was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced following oral administration of the extract at 500 and 1000 mg/kg doses. No test animal group exhibited stage 4 seizure. The extract also exhibited both in-vivo and in-vitro antioxidant activities. .

Conclusion: The ethanol extract of Indigofera tinctoria was found to be useful in controlling lithium/pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in albino rats.