ABSTRACT:
Plumbagin is a medicinally important alkaloid obtained from the Plumbago zeylanica L. root. In recent studies, the alkaloid showed neuroprotective and antidepressant-like activities. Therefore, in the present investigation, the effect of plumbagin on anxiety-related behavior was screened using social interaction paradigm in mice. Adult male Swiss Albine mice were divided in different groups. In first series of study, the animals were administered with vehicle (control), different doses of plumbagin (4, 8 and 12 mg/kg) and diazepam (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg) via intraperitoncal route, and 15 min afterwards they were subjected to social interaction test. Furthermore, the modulation of anxiety-related behavior of plumbagin by diazepam, if any, was examined. Plumbagin per se treated mice showed increase in social interaction time in a dose dependent manner as compared with that in control animals. This suggests the antianxiety-like effect of plumbagin. Similar to plumbagin, treatment with diazepam also produced dose dependent increase in social interaction time, which confirms its anxiolytic activity. In combination studies, 10 min prior administration of subeffective dose of diazepam (0.5 mgkg) potentiated the antianxiety-like effect of plumbagin (4 and 8 mg/kg). Since diazepam produces anxiolytic effect by activating endogenous GABAergic system, the present data raise the possibility that plumbagine might have the modulatory effect on the endogenous GABAergic system, which clearly merits further investigations. The results of the current study, for the fint time, suggest the antianxiety-like action of plumbagin. Moreover, the effect of alkaloid might be attributed to the enhancement of GABArgic tone in the brain.
Cite this article:
Nakhate, Badwaik and Ajazuddin (2016). Evaluation of Antianxiety-Like Activity of Plumbagin and its Combination with Diazepam in Mice. Journal of Ravishankar University (Part-B: Science), 29(1), pp.81-82.