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.
OP-C12
Evaluation of
Antianxiety-Like Activity of Plumbagin and its Combination with Diazepam in
Mice
Kartik T Nakhate, Hemant R
Badwaik and Ajazuddin
Rungta College of Pharmaceutical
Sciences & Research, Kohka-Kurud Road, Bhilai 490 024, C.G, India
Corresponding author email: kartiknakhate@gmail.com
[Received
15 January 2016; accepted 29 January 2016]
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.
Keywords: Plumbagin,
Diazepam, Social interaction test, Anxiety, Mice