Abstract:
Crassula arborescens
(Mill.) Willd. subsp.
Arborescens
is widely used for the treatment
of various ailments including
diarrhoea, corns, epilepsy and as a purgati
ve. However, no information exists in any literature to verify the acclaimed effecti
veness of
C. arborescens
in the treatment of the various ailments. The study, therefore, intended to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of the
leaf methanol extract of
C. arborescens
in mice. Acute toxicity study
and phytochemical qualitative analysis of the plant extracts
were also carried out. Chemically-induc
ed convulsion methods were used to
assess the anticonvulsant activity of
C. arborescens
.
Standard methods were used for the acute t
oxicity study and phytochemical analysis of
the chemical compone
nts of the plant extr
act.
PTZ (pentylenetetrazole), bicuculline, picrotoxin, NMDLA (N-methy
l-DL-aspartic acid) or strychnine produced tonic convulsions i
n
all the mice used. Leaf methanol extract of
Crassula arborescens
, muscimol, phenobarbitone or di
azepam significantly antagonised
PTZ, bicuculline or picr
otoxin-induced convulsion.
C. arborescens
or LY233053 significantly antagonised NMDLA-induced tonic
convulsion.
C. arborescens
or phenobarbitone signifi
cantly antagonised strychni
ne-elicited tonic convulsi
on. Phenytoin or DMSO
(dimethylsulfoxide) did not significantly affect the tonic convulsion produced by PTZ, bicuculline, picrotoxin, NMDLA or
strychnine. The
LD
50
value obtained from intraperitoneal administration of
C. arborescens
was 781.6 mg/kg while that following oral
administration of the plant extract was over
4,000 mg/kg. The phytochemical qualitativ
e analysis done showed the presence of
flavonoids, tannins, reducing sugar,
saponins and triterpene steroids. The data obta
ined in the study show that the leaf methan
ol
extract of
Crassula arborescens
has anticonvulsant activity which may be
underpinned by GABAergic, glutaminergic and
glycinergic mechanisms. The high
LD
50
value obtained following the oral administra
tion of the plant extract shows that the leaf
methanol extract is non-toxic to animals.