Millettia thonningii, Ocinum sanctum and Securitaca longepedunculaca are used in traditional medicine in Cameroon to treat epilepsy, insomnia and headaches. Animal models of epilepsy (maximal electroshock (MES), n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), isonicotinic hydrazide acid (INH), picrotoxine (PIC) and strychnine (STR)-induced convulsions or turning behavior were used to evaluate anticonvulsant activity while diazepam-induced sleep test was used to evaluate sedative activity of the plants. Four doses of extracts were used for each plant (100, 200, 500 and 1000 mg/kg). At a dose of 1000 mg/kg, Millettia thonningii protected 60 and 90% of mice against MES and PTZ-induced convulsions, respectively. At the same dose, Millettia thonningii also protected 80% of mice against NMDA-induced turning behavior. At a dose of 1000 mg/kg, Ocinum sanctum provided complete protection against MES, PIC and STR-induced convulsions and 83.3% of protection in PTZ test. Securitaca longepedunculata completely protected (100%) mice in PIC test at a dose of 200 mg/kg, in MES test at a dose of 500 mg/kg and in PTZ test at a dose of 1000 mg/kg. 66.7% of mice were protected against STRinduced convulsions. All the three plants showed also sedative properties for they increased significantly and in a dose dependent manner the total sleep time induced by diazepam. The total sleep time of the control groups was multiplied by a factor of 3 at least by each extract. The presence of sedative and anticonvulsant activity in the three plants could explain their use in traditional medicine in the treatment of epilepsy and insomnia in Cameroon.

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Anxiety is a major current issue for both athletes and sedentary people. Several strategies for fighting this condition, aimed at limiting its sometimes adverse effects on the health and performance of athletes, are currently being developed. This study aims at assessing the combined effect of the decoction of dried Parkia biglobosa bark and aerobic physical activity in white mice. For this purpose, the elevated plus maze test (EPM) and the open field test were used. Thirty male and female mice of approximately eight weeks of age and 22 g body weight were used. They were divided into six groups of five mice each. This makes three test groups, one of which received the plant decoction by gavage and underwent anxiety induction; the other plant decoction and underwent anxiety induction and physical activity, and the third the anxiety induction and physical activity. A normal group received distilled water by gavage, a negative control group received distilled water by gavage and underwent anxiety induction and a positive control group received diazepam intraperitoneally and underwent anxiety induction. Thus, the results in the EPM give a significant difference (p˂0.001) in the open arms of the number of entries from 5 ± 1 in the negative control mice to 27 ± 2.54 in those treated with 56 mg/kg of the batch (Pb56+SIC+AP), the percentage of entries from 18.08 ± 4.54 in the negative control mice to 84.46 ± 2.57 in those treated with 56 mg/kg of the group (Pb56+SIC+AP). Then, the open field test showed a significant increase (p˂0.001) in the time spent in the centre from 6 ± 1second in the negative control mice to 42 ± 2 in those treated with 56 mg/kg of the group (Pb56+SIC+AP), in the number of crossing from 53 ± 4, 24 in the negative control mice to 101.8 ± 7.15 in those treated with 56 mg/kg of the group (Pb56+SIC+AP), the number of grooming from 2 ± 0.70 in the negative control mice to 11 ± 1.87 in those treated with 56 mg/kg of the batch (Pb56+SIC+AP). The decoction of dried barks of P. biglobosa combined with physical activity produces anxiolytic effects, that is, the ability to treat anxiety.

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