Neem (Azadirachta indica) treatment decreases spontaneous motor activity in rats: implications for its central sedative action

Abstract

The administration of a crude steroidal extract of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) leaf significantly decreased the total spontaneous motor activity (SMA) scores in rats receiving either 100 mg/kg body weight (i.p.) twice per week for 6 weeks (p <0.01) or a single dose (p <0.05), indicating that neem may have a sedative effect on rats. Single dose (acute) treatment also significantly decreased (p <0.01) the amplitude of the peak twitch force of the gastrocnemius muscle in vivo, but the neem extract exerted no significant effect on amplitude or conduction velocity of the compound action potential of the toad sciatic nerve preparation in vitro. It is therefore concluded that the depression of the SMA may be due to an effect of neem on the central nervous system and/or muscle strength, but not on peripheral nerve conduction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of Neuropharmacological Activity of Dioscorea bulbifera Using Various Experimental Models

“…As expected, diazepam reduced the animal's natural aversion to the open arms and promoted maze exploration. 22 Despite the good predictive validity of the elevated-plus-maze and test for anxiolytic-like drugs, the use of more than one animal model of anxiety is recommended to avoid falsepositive results. The head dip test can be used to confirm the anxiolyticlike effect observed in the elevated-plus-maze test.…”