Neuro-pharmacological-based in vivo and behavioral exploration of antiepileptic activity of leaves extract of Terminalia bellirica Roxb. in chronic pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling model in mice

Epilepsy affects 70 million people worldwide. An abnormal brain electrical rhythm causes frequent seizures in this neurologic disease. Terminalia bellirica Roxb., called as “Behada” has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for millennia. Unani, Tibb, Ayurveda, and Siddha employ its hemostatic, carminative, dysenteric, liver tonic, digestive, antidiarrheal, analgesic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, and skin condition benefits. Its neuroprotective potential in leaves has not been studied as much as in fruit. Leaf extracts of T. bellirica were evaluated for their antiepileptic properties in a chronic PTZ-kindling epilepsy model, accompanied by behavioral assessments of learning, memory, and motor function. The methanolic (MeOH) extract from the leaf of T. bellirica demonstrated reduced seizure frequency (MeOH; 15 ± 3, DZP; 10 ± 2), mean seizure score (MeOH; 1.5 ± 0.5, DZP; 1.19 ± 0.4, secs) and cumulative duration (MeOH; 285 ± 31, DZP; 220 ± 45, secs), comparable to diazepam (DZP). Significant behavioral improvements were observed in mice treated with MeOH extract in post-test levels: open field (MeOH; 20.7 ± 3.6, DZP; 11.4 ± 2.1, secs), Y-maze (MeOH; 33.1 ± 5.6, DZP; 24.7 ± 4.1, secs) and tail suspension (MeOH; 87.1 ± 13.4, DZP; 48.3 ± 17.5, secs). The MeOH extract of the leaf of T. bellirica demonstrated comparable activity in controlling PTZ-induced seizures with behavioral improvements in mice. The methanolic extract of T. bellirica leaves shows promise as a novel neuroprotective herbal treatment for epilepsy and its associated behavioral and cognitive impairments. Graphical abstract Timeline for kindling and behavioral experiments