Evaluation of anticonvulsant activity of Lactuca sativa seeds and Asperugoprocumbensleaves

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder which is accompanied by reparative and self-limiting convulsion. In Iranian traditional medicine, many herbal drugs have been used for treatment of epilepsy. Nowadays many cases of epilepsies are controlled by using the current official antiepileptic medications but these drugs have various side effects on the other hand. There are also drug resistant convulsions which are refractive to these drugs. Therefore herbal medicines have been considered as a source of new anticonvulsants. Methods: In this Study anticonvulsant activity of methanolic (80%) extract of leaves of Asperugoprocumbensand seeds of Lactuca sativa were evaluated in male NMRI mice, using pentylentetrazole (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES) models. Findings: The results showed that total methanolic extract of Asperugoprocumbenshave significant anticonvulsant activity at dose of 20-320mg/kg in MES model (ED50= 173.9mg/kg with 95% confidence interval of 56.204-1869.203mg/kg), but at doses up to 320 mg/kg has no effect in PTZ model. Total methanolic extract of Lactuca sativa has no any significant anticonvulsive activity in both PTZ and MES models.Conclusion: Then, total methanolic extract of Asperugo procumbensleaves fractionate with 3 solvents including etherdepetrol, chloroform and ethylacetate and anticonvulsant activity of them was considered. Chloroform fraction showed anticonvulsant activity in MES model (ED50= 202.92 mg/kg with 95% confidence interval 66.034-2723.197 mg/kg).

Keywords:

Asperugo procumbens , Lactuca sativa , anticonvulsant , PTZ , MES