Anticonvulsant, Sedative and Antidepressant Effects of Aqueous Extract of <i>Costus afer</i> Stems in Mice

Abstract

Epilepsy is a disorder in the nervous system which often causes a loss of consciousness. Traditional treatments are quiet a component of health care system in various populations in spite of the fact that well-established options are available. Most plants are used to treat epilepsy or those which have been verified for anticonvulsant activity were reported. Then, Costus afer is a plant of the Congolese flora used in traditional medicine for its many virtues.Therefore, the anticonvulsant activity of Costus afer was assessed with the strychnine convulsion induction test. Two tests were used for sedative activity such as the barbiturate sleep induction test and motor activity and finally the forced swimming test was also used to assess antidepressant activity. The results showed that the aqueous extract of Costus afer stems had no effects on strychnine-induced seizures at doses of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg compared to the control group. However, the extract of Costus afer stems caused a very significant decrease in motricity at a dose of 500 mg/kg, showing a decrease in the onset time and a very significant increase in sleep duration like the reference molecule such as Diazepam. The aqueous extract of Costus afer stems also caused a decrease in immobility time in mice at a dose of 500 mg/kg.