NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL SCREENING OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF NELUMBO NUCIFERA GAERTNER SEEDS

In this paper, the neuropharmacological activities of the ethanolic extract of Nelumbo nucifera gaertner seeds were screened in mice and rats. The extracts effect on phenobarbitone sodium induced sleep latency and sleeping time,motor coordination activity, locomotor activity, anxiolytic activity and cerebral activator activity were evaluated. The ethanolic extract of Nelumbo nucifera (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o.) possess a significant depression in general behavioral tests, and potentiation of phenobarbitone induced sleeping time, and also shows anxiolytic action, in dose dependent manner. The ethanolic extract of Nelumbo nucifera gaertner shows nootropic activity on conditional avoidance response, Morri's water maze for spatial learning, but it weakly acts on acetylcholineesterase enzyme inhibitory activity. Earlier studies conducted by various workers have revealed that several medicinal plants possess nootropic activity, but only a few plants like W. somnifera possess both antistress as well as nootropic activity. Similarly, this paper demonstrates that the plant nelumbo nucifera possesses a combination of activities.