Anticonvulsant, Muscle Relaxant and In-Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Hydroethanol Leaf Extract of Costus afer Ker Gawl (Costaceae) in Mice

Abstract

oxidative stress is a possible mechanism for the onset and development of epilepsy, while Menon et al. 9 demonstrated seizureinduced oxidative stress by reporting significant increase in the level of oxidative makers in epileptic patients. Antioxidant therapy in animal models, supported by clinical data, has been demonstrated to reduce oxidative stress and frequency of seizures. 10,11 Muscle spasm is a short painful muscular contraction which may be due to epilepsy. A number of conventional anti-epileptics, muscle relaxants and antioxidant drugs are currently available, but epilepsy is still poorly managed in about 20% of affected individuals. 12 Diseases caused by oxidative damage are still on the increase and the episodes of skeletal muscle spasm continue unabated. Hence, focus remains strong on indigenous plants which are promising sources of new drugs with better efficacy and safety profile relative to conventional agents, apart from the desirable prospect of developing standardized herbal remedies for CNS disorders. Costus afer Ker Grawl (Costaceae), Bush/Monkey sugar cane, is a perennial, herbaceous and rhizomatous plant found in Asia, Africa and Americas. 13-15 In west and tropical Africa, it grows well in moist or shady forest. 16,17 In Nigeria and other West African countries, C. afer is often planted in home gardens for medicinal purposes, with documentation of use in traditional medicine to treat diabetes, inflammation, joint pains, 16 measles, fever, malaria, etc. The rhizome decoction of another species (Costus dubius) is used to treat epilepsy. 18 This study was carried out to investigate the anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and in-vitro antioxidant activities of the hydroethanol leaf extract of Costus afer in mice.